More Cdns representing themselves at trial due to high legal costs: top ju

[CHIMO]

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. (CP) - Legal costs have risen to the point where nearly half of Canadians going to trial do so without a lawyer, creating a lack of adequate representation that has reached "epidemic" levels, says the country's top judge.

Judges throughout Canada on some days see up to 40 per cent of litigants who represent themselves at trial, armed with a weak or non-existent grasp of the law, said Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin.

"For average Canadians, access to justice still remains an ideal, not a reality," McLachlin told the Canadian Bar Association's annual conference Saturday.

"In order to maintain confidence in our legal system, that system must be, and must be seen to be, accessible to all Canadians - not just large corporations, not just people charged with serious crimes."

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