CBA National notes Taylor McCaffrey LLP in their article in regards to Manitoba’s pro bono culture.
John Myers and Elizabeth Mitchell of Taylor McCaffrey LLP were the 2016 recipients for pro bono advocacy that led to increased income assistance for persons living with mental illness or intellectual disabilities.
Myers says that Taylor McCaffrey takes on pro bono cases focused on equality rights, including housing, benefits for people with disabilities, benefits for couples before same-sex marriage was legalized, and access to justice representation. Myers completed applications for three Manitoba families for inclusion in Carter v Canada (Attorney General), the medical-assistance-in-dying ruling by the Supreme Court.
A 30-year member of the firm, Myers says Taylor McCaffrey continues to live the legacy of its founding partners.
“Our firm founders Reeh Taylor and D’Arcy McCaffrey were very much people who saw a law firm as something way more than a collection of people coming together to make money. A firm has a much broader community purpose than that,” he says.
While pro bono work obviously benefits clients and stakeholders, Myers agrees that lawyers gain from the experience.
“I’ve been to the Supreme Court of Canada five times and four were public interest law cases,” he says. “At the end of the day, you are giving a lot of your time and expertise, but what you get back from the experience and also working with the client groups that you get to work with — you get way more out of it than you actually put into it.”
The above is excerpted from Canadian Bar Associate National.
