YORKTON – Two lawyers from Kondratoff Persick LLP in Yorkton have been honoured by Pro Bono Law Saskatchewan (PBLS) for their pro bono work.
Rhiannon Montgomery and Kyla Eiffert were both recognized for their dedication to providing free legal services to underserved communities.
Montgomery was awarded the Pro Bono Law Saskatchewan Volunteer of the Year Award for 2024 and Eiffert received the Victor P. Dietz K.C. Pro Bono Service Award for 2024, named after the first president of PBLS.
PBLS is an organization that many lawyers volunteer for, providing free legal services to those in need. Â鶹ÊÓƵ.ca caught up with the two recipients ahead of the awards presentation Feb. 8th in Regina.
"PBLS books you for certain appointments with a slate of people. You usually have between two to four appointments in your afternoon of schedule," said Montgomery, who volunteers time at the Yorkton Free Legal Clinic several times a year.
Montgomery said she has been volunteering with PBLS since 2015, shortly after being called to the bar.
"I usually do a clinic once every three months. Potentially you're seeing four people four times a year," said Montgomery.
The Yorkton Free Legal Clinic, where Montgomery volunteers, holds clinics once or twice a month. These clinics are crucial in providing legal assistance to individuals facing various legal challenges.
In an afternoon at the clinic, Montgomery said a pro bono lawyer deals with a wide range of issues from client to client.
"You'll have people coming who need to start a family law action or someone who's been charged with a criminal offence who just wants to get a little bit of advice at the beginning or maybe they're looking at sentencing," said Montgomery.
Montgomery emphasized the professional obligation of lawyers to give back to their communities.
"It's good to keep your toe in a lot of different areas of the law and also I think as members of the law society we hold sort of a ... place in society where we have a lot of knowledge. I think it's part of our professional obligations to be providing pro bono services to people," said Montgomery.
"It's a difficult job but I do find the work I do with pro bono to be very rewarding. Sometimes it's challenging and you're dealing with challenging clients who have challenging issues but on the whole I would say it's been a positive experience in my career and certainly to receive this award is just incredibly validating," added Montgomery.
Eiffert is being honoured with the Victor P. Dietz K.C. Pro Bono Service Award which requires the recipient to be active in the delivery of pro bono legal services, assistance with the establishment of pro bono programs, coordination of pro bono services and education and advocacy to promote a pro bono culture.
Eiffert told Â鶹ÊÓƵ.ca she has been volunteering with PBLS since 2014, even before the Yorkton Free Legal Clinic had a dedicated facility.
Eiffert highlighted the significant volunteer involvement within the Yorkton Bar area.
The CBA Legal Directory lists 36 lawyers in Yorkton with 10 volunteering for the PBLS. That means that 28 per cent of the Yorkton Bar volunteers with PBLS.
Eiffert's motivation for volunteering stems from the unique opportunities and learning experiences provided by pro bono work.
"Part of the reason I got into it is because it was new. They (PBLS) came to us and said 'we need lawyers in this area who will help these people,'" said Eiffert, adding, "I just thought it would be interesting to do and it expands your knowledge a little bit. There's usually something quite different in each of our clinics that we have to do a little bit of research on."
Kondratoff Persick LLP has a strong commitment to pro bono work, with five out of its ten lawyers volunteering their time with PBLS. Eiffert, who has been practicing law for 20 years, expressed her appreciation for the recognition.
"I'm extremely flattered. The letter itself was enough — I don't need the award ... [PBLS] know me. They knew enough about my background and what I've been doing," said Eiffert, noting the recognition and positive feedback tells her that she's doing her job and helping people out.
PBLS operates 14 free legal clinics across Saskatchewan, providing crucial legal services to low-income residents. For more information on pro bono services, visit pblsask.ca.
