CANADA
CBC News
This story may trigger painful memories for former residential school students. If that’s the case for you, we encourage you to tell someone you trust about how you are feeling. You can also find help from the toll-free 24-hour crisis line for victims: 1-866-925-4419.
Federal authorities are tightening rules to protect Indian Residential School claimants from being taken advantage of by lawyers.
The new rules will curtail lawyers from giving clients high interest cash advances, charging finders fees, or billing for improper expenses.
Click here to listen to Dan Shapiro explaining the rule changes on The Trailbreaker with Loren McGinnis
“The vast majority do excellent work they’re ethical and very professional,” says Dan Shapiro, chief adjudicator for the independent assessment secretariat, and the man responsible for making sure the settlement process is being handled appropriately. “There are, however, a handful of lawyers that have engaged in conduct that we feel is unconscionable and in some cases illegal.”
Across the country, more than $2 billion has already been given out in compensation for victims of residential schools. The new rules aim to get rid of the bad apples in that process, to make sure unscrupulous lawyers don’t skim more than they are entitled to from victims.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.