Saskatchewan Law Union
Organization profile published 1982

Publisher:  c/o Mickey Woodard, 116-108th St., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 1P4
Year Published:  1982
Resource Type:  Organization
Cx Number:  CX2443

The legal profession designs rules primarily to ensure the smooth functioning of law as a business. A law society is composed exclusively of lawyers. The goal of a law union, on the other hand, is to provide a critique of the legal processes. It is composed of students, native court workers, legal secretaries and para-legal workers as well as lawyers and those concerned with the effects of law on society.

Abstract: 
The legal profession designs rules primarily to ensure the smooth functioning of law as a business. A law society is composed exclusively of lawyers. The goal of a law union, on the other hand, is to provide a critique of the legal processes. It is composed of students, native court workers, legal secretaries and para-legal workers as well as lawyers and those concerned with the effects of law on society.

Law unions are not new. There is a national organization and active groups in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia and now Saskatchewan. Quebec is currently re-organizing its law union. The Ontario law union, founded in 1971 has been the longest living and most active. Its major efforts have been in the fields of immigration law, union support work, prisoners' rights and police oppression.

The recently-formed Law Union has identified as one of its major purposes to become a vehicle through which its members will be able to express political opinions which differ from those of the conservative and establishment legal organizations, such as the Canadian Bar Association and the Federation of Law Societies.

The Saskatoon-based group recognizes that a law union can be difficult to form and maintain. Some who might be interested may tend to reject associations with the legal field in favour of more direct involvement with various political groups. In a sparsely populated province like Saskatchewan, such an organization must rely on a broad range of support which can obscure direction and purpose. It is expected that a local chapter of the law union will be formed in Regina and possibly in some smaller cities, but that the centre of activity will be Saskatoon.

This organization no longer exists.