Steinbach lawyer elected vice-president of Benchers

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This article was published 30/06/2020 (1777 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Steinbach based lawyer has been elected vice-president of the Benchers, a board of directors governing The Law Society of Manitoba.

Grant Driedger, a partner at Smith Neufeld Jodoin LLP, was elected to the position by his fellow Benchers.

The Benchers are the independent regulator of the legal profession in Manitoba and includes 12 practicing lawyers elected by peers, four appointed based on a skills matrix, six public representatives, one articling student, the past president of the Law Society and the University of Manitoba Dean of the Faculty of Law.

Driedger said he was elected to the Benchers as the Eastern Manitoba representative and has spent six years in that position. The maximum term is eight years.

Driedger was called to the bar in 2002 and has been with Smith Neufeld Jodoin since 2008. He lives in Grunthal with his wife and three kids and practices law related to real estate, civil litigation, employment and labour, and agriculture.

He said the organization should not be confused with The Bar Association which is an advocacy group for lawyers.

“We’re the regulator for lawyers in Manitoba,” he said. “The role of the law society is to protect the public.”

They oversee admissions, education, discipline and insurance while also working on policy.

Driedger said typically benchers elected as vice-president become president for their final year.

He’s excited about the role, but said it looks a little different than it would normally, because of COVID-19.

“It’s a handful of meetings a month and then there’s always a certain amount of emails or calls,” he said. The travel across Canada that is normally required has been put on hold at this time.

Driedger said there are some issues that have become prominent in recent years including health and wellness.

“Lawyers have a highly disproportionate number of diagnosis for depression, anxiety and suicide rates,” he said.

That can also play a role in mistakes lawyers can make.

“It’s become apparent over time that a significant number of the discipline cases that we have, have a mental health component to them.”

Access to justice, diversity and reconciliation issues are also part of ongoing discussions.

“We’re trying to figure out ways to make the justice system a little more accessible,” he said, adding that they are only one player in that discussion.

Driedger said the work done on the issues takes place over years.

“The legal profession doesn’t typically change quickly,” he said. “The court system today is very similar to what it would have been 18 years ago or 30 years ago or 40 years ago.”

“Something like access to justice or diversity would not have been on the radar screen nearly to the same degree 15 or 20 years ago,” he added.

Driedger said he brings no agenda to the post, adding that it takes years to formulate new policy, requiring cooperation between past, present and future members.

“It’s more of a relay race than a sprint,” he said.