Veterans Legal Assistance Foundation established to provide Canadian veterans better access to justice

Filter

Please enter your search terms above. e.g. "Oil & Gas", "Latest News" Searching... Displaying results based on your search term(s) ""

Publication

March 14, 2015

David Fraser quoted in Globe & Mail privacy article

...Fraser is quoted in the Oil & Gas Report on Business article regarding a Romanian website which has copied hundreds of court cases...

Blog

March 14, 2015

Muskrat Falls / Mar / Labrador Link Project named one of Lexpert’s Big Deals for 2014

...Fraser is quoted in the Oil & Gas Report on Business article regarding a Romanian website which has copied hundreds of court cases...

News

March 14, 2015

Privacy Breach Class Action Update. Privacy Commissioner says Health Canada violated privacy laws

...Fraser is quoted in the Oil & Gas Report on Business article regarding a Romanian website which has copied hundreds of court cases...

Event

March 14, 2015 - March 15, 2014

Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia - Pro Bono Symposium

Halifax, NS

...Fraser is quoted in the Oil & Gas Report on Business article regarding a Romanian website which has copied hundreds of court cases...

Advanced Filters

Please search by first or last name. e.g: "John" or "Smith". Your search will begin after typing at least 2 characters. Searching...
Sort by: Relevance | Name

We are pleased to provide you with detailed biographies on our lawyers, paralegals and administrative team, so you can learn more about how we can best support your business' success.

Use the search bar above or the advanced filters to further narrow your search by service, industry, office location, bar admissions, title, education and language.

: Service; Industry; Office; Position; Bar Admission; Education; Language

Contact Form

: Contact

McInnes Cooper would be pleased to hear from you, and learn about how we can assist you with your legal needs. Contact us at 1.855.622.6668

Charlottetown

141 Kent St., Suite 300
McInnes Cooper Building
Charlottetown, PE
C1A 1N3

Tel: 902.368.8473
Fax: 902.368.8346

Fredericton

570 Queen St., Suite 600
Barker House
Fredericton, NB
E3B 6Z6

Tel: 506.458.8572
Fax: 506.458.9903

Halifax

1969 Upper Water St., Suite 1300
Purdy’s Wharf Tower II
Halifax, NS
B3J 3R7

Tel: 902.425.6500
Fax: 902.425.6350

Moncton

644 Main St., Suite 400
Blue Cross Building, South Tower
Moncton, NB
E1C 1E2

Tel: 506.857.8970
Fax: 506.857.4095

Saint John

1 Germain St., Suite 1700
Brunswick Square
Saint John, NB
E2L 4V1

Tel: 506.643.6500
Fax: 506.643.6505

St. John’s

10 Fort William Pl., 5th Floor
Baine Johnston Centre
St. John’s, NL
A1C 1K4

Tel: 709.722.8735
Fax: 709.722.1763

More News

News

Veterans Legal Assistance Foundation established to provide Canadian veterans better access to justice

: January 14, 2016

HALIFAX, NS January 15, 2016 – Peter Stoffer announced this morning at the House of Commons a new charitable organization that supports access to justice for Canadian veterans.

Funding for the initiative was announced in 2013 in conjunction with the Manuge SISIP Clawback class action settlement, but was made official in Ottawa today with the establishment of the Veterans Legal Assistance Foundation (“the Veterans Legal Fund”). The $1-million donation was made by firms that received fees in the settlement – McInnes Cooper and Branch MacMaster – to fund a private foundation for the benefit of disabled veterans who apply and qualify for support.

“We’re very pleased to see something like this being made available to veterans,” said Dennis Manuge, a Canadian Armed Forces veteran and representative plaintiff in the SISIP class action. “Our ability to legally pursue disability claims should not be hindered by our personal budgets.”

“We recognize the cost of hiring a lawyer can be a financial burden on veterans, but the likelihood they will receive a successful result is much better if they have professional representation,” said Ward Branch, Q.C., Branch MacMaster Partner and Veteran’s Legal Fund Board Member. “This fund will make the legal system easier for many of Canada’s veterans appealing disability benefits.”

The mandate of the Veterans Legal Fund is to assist veterans with access to justice by providing funding assistance enabling them to retain qualified legal counsel. The framework for the funding assistance program would be similar to that of legal aid.

“As lawyers, we are often introduced to people and organizations that have difficulty gaining access to justice due to their personal financial situation,” said Peter Driscoll, McInnes Cooper Counsel and Chair of the Veteran’s Legal Fund Board.

“Legal fees on an appeal for disability benefits can cost a veteran $15,000 to $50,000,” said Peter Stoffer, Veteran’s Legal Fund Board Member. “A veteran’s right to seek an appeal to a decision should not be limited by his or her financial means.”

– 30 –

About the Veterans Legal Assistance Foundation

Veterans Legal Assistance Foundation (“The Veterans Legal Fund”) was established in 2016 as a charitable organization providing Canada’s veterans funding to private practice legal counsel to reduce the burden of legal fees associated with proceedings before administrative tribunals and courts. Eligibility for funding is reviewed and selected by the Board of Directors through an application process.

To qualify for assistance, individuals must meet the definition of “veteran” as defined by Veterans Affairs Canada. Assistance is discretionary and with a priority placed on issues broadly affecting veterans nationally. Personal legal matters, such as family and criminal matters, are not eligible for funding. We encourage veterans facing issues with respect to accessing benefits to apply by consulting with local legal counsel who can contact the fund administrator to determine eligibility. Inquiries from legal representatives may be directed to veteranslegalfund@mcinnescooper.com.

About the Manuge SISIP Clawback Class Action

The Class Action was initiated in March of 2007 on behalf of Dennis Manuge and all other disabled veterans whose SISIP Long Term Disability Benefits are reduced by the amount of the monthly VAC (Veterans Affairs Canada) Disability Pension they receive under the Pension Act. On May 1st, 2012, the Federal Court of Canada ruled that the Government of Canada acted illegally in making deductions from veterans’ long term disability benefits. On April 5, 2013 the Federal Court of Canada ruled in favour of the proposed settlement agreement with the Government of Canada. In further proceedings, a settlement was also achieved involving alleged miscalculation of Consumer Price Index adjustments of these benefits. The estimated total value of the approved settlements for disabled veterans is in excess of $900 million.

People

Services

Industries

Government & Institutions

News

February 24, 2016

Daniel Wallace represents Veterans to challenge Federal Court

McInnes Cooper lawyer Daniel Wallace will take to federal court to represent veterans who say they've been wrongly shut out...

News

February 6, 2015

McInnes Cooper files class action for disabled veterans denied benefits due to alleged flawed and unfair process

HALIFAX – McInnes Cooper lawyer Daniel Wallace has filed a Notice of Application with the Federal Court, Halifax, on January...

News

June 3, 2014

Federal Court approves additional class action settlement for disabled Canadian Forces veterans

HALIFAX, NS July 3, 2014— Thousands of disabled Canadian Forces veterans will benefit from the Federal Court of Canada’s approval...

News

April 28, 2014

The final issue in the SISIP class action is tentatively resolved resulting in additional benefits to a total of 14,000 disabled CF veterans

Additional $38.6 million added to resolve the Cost of Living Allowance dispute HALIFAX, NS April 28, 2014—The SISIP class...

News

April 5, 2013

Federal Court approves Canadian military veterans’ class action agreement

HALIFAX, NS April 5, 2013 – Class counsel with the SISIP Long Term Disability Class Action is pleased to receive a Federal...

News

January 9, 2013

SISIP Class Action Update - Technical Brief January 9th, 2013

A proposed agreement has been reached with the Department of Justice and is now available for review by class members....

News

May 29, 2012

Disabled Vets pleased with Government of Canada decision to not appeal SISIP ruling

HALIFAX, NS May 29, 2012 – Following a long five-year class action lawsuit between disabledveterans and the Government of Canada,...

News

September 16, 2011

SISIP Claw-Back Class Action Update

This is an update to our June 2011 memo to the Class. We are pleased to inform you that...

News

January 21, 2011

Class Action brought by disabled veterans against the Government of Canada takes another big step forward

In a recent decision by the Supreme Court of Canada, a Class Action brought by disabled veterans against the Government...

Publication

March 14, 2015

David Fraser quoted in Globe & Mail privacy article

Blog

March 14, 2015

Muskrat Falls / Mar / Labrador Link Project named one of Lexpert’s Big Deals for 2014

News

March 14, 2015

Privacy Breach Class Action Update. Privacy Commissioner says Health Canada violated privacy laws

Event

March 14, 2015 - March 15, 2014

Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia - Pro Bono Symposium

Halifax, NS

We are pleased to provide you with detailed biographies on our lawyers, paralegals and administrative team, so you can learn more about how we can best support your business' success.

Advanced Filters

Contact

McInnes Cooper would be pleased to hear from you, and learn about how we can assist you with your legal needs. Contact us at 1.855.622.6668

Charlottetown

Fredericton

Halifax

Moncton

Saint John

St. John’s

Get in touch

Un moment s'il vous plaît...

Publication

March 14, 2015

Blog

March 14, 2015

News

March 14, 2015

Event

March 14, 2015 - March 15, 2014

Halifax, NS

We are pleased to provide you with detailed biographies on our lawyers, paralegals and administrative team, so you can learn more about how we can best support your business' success.

Advanced Filters

Contact

McInnes Cooper would be pleased to hear from you, and learn about how we can assist you with your legal needs. Contact us at 1.855.622.6668

Charlottetown

Fredericton

Halifax

Moncton

Saint John

St. John’s

Get in touch

Un moment s'il vous plaît...

Share this with others

Twitter

Facebook

Google +

LinkedIn

Email