*Event in Fredericton*

All are invited, and highly encouraged, to help our friend and dedicated social justice activist and non-lawyer advocate for the poor, Vaughn Barnett, as he prepares to enter precarious territory on this January 11th. On that date, Vaughn will be in court to defend himself against the Law Society of New Brunswick. They will be attempting to have him charged with contempt of court for allegedly providing services that only lawyers are allowed to.

***This is a call to all supporters to show the massive solidarity we can muster in defense of a deeply dedicated, local social justice activist; all we need to do is attend his trial to show moral support and present to the judge and prosecuting lawyer(s) that Vaughn is not fighting his struggle alone, and will not be pushed around in silence. Anyone is allowed to attend the trial and be part of the audience; no special permission required***

If Vaughn loses, he can end up in jail, or with fines or some other financial punishment for doing nothing more than trying to help poor people defend themselves. It should be noted that Vaughn lives on social assistance, so he can ill afford fines, thus would likely be forced to go to jail if fines are overly burdensome. Additionally, a loss for Vaughn would set a dangerous precedent that could make it very difficult for grassroots groups in Fredericton, and possibly throughout the province, to provide any sort of legalistic services in the future without challenges.

If you can make it, please arrive at the courthouse in downtown Fredericton (“Justice” building on the corner of Queen and Carlton) at:

***9:00AM ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 11TH***

A group will be waiting at the entrance to the courthouse, and we shall go in together to show a collective solidarity with Vaughn. WE NEED AS LARGE AN ATTENDANCE AS POSSIBLE. Even attending for 30 minutes - 1 hour helps. Courtroom solidarity is effective if enough people show up to demonstrate a collective strength that will continue to show resilience.

THE BACKGROUND:
The Law Society of NB, an elitist old-boys club that sanctions all practicing lawyers in New Brunswick, has hounded Vaughn for several years, continually arriving in court to intercept him every time he has tried to assist someone by using his knowledge of the law. The interference has included attempting to have everything Vaughn submits before the court on someone else’s account thrown out. Most of the time, these cold acts of interference—leaving poor people defenseless—have been effective for the Law Society.

Many poor people, over the years, have approached Vaughn (who works for free) in order to pursue their respective legal cases. He does not announce himself as a lawyer, but someone with legal training. He holds an LL.B. (law degree) from the University of Western Ontario (1994), which, along with his own personalized research over the years, provides him with knowledge that the average person does not have, such as how to write up any relevant legal documents and how to do effective legal research. After receiving his law degree, he had the intention of pursuing a career as a lawyer; however, when he returned home to Fredericton, he could not find a lawyer to article (apprentice) with—a necessary step in becoming a lawyer. His career was temporarily halted, but rather than waiting for an “ordinary” opportunity, he decided to fill the gaping hole that he still fills today. He arms poor people with tools they do not possess, so they can better defend themselves, find out what other legal options are available or even help determine when is the time for engaging in protest actions (which he joins them in). On occasion, Vaughn has also been able to speak in the courtroom; these have been situations where any citizen could have stepped in. Essentially, he has made himself available to those who would otherwise be out in the cold pleading for pro bono services or left to defending themselves with no training in the complicated games of the courtroom.

Rather than being recognized for his services, Vaughn has been punished. A complaint by the Law Society several years ago resulted in a court order (issued by Justice Riordon) in November of 2000 that has since prohibited Vaughn from offering “lawyer-like services.” The order is classified as a “permanent injunction” against Vaughn providing any lawyer-like services. This has often prevented the acceptance by the Court of legal paperwork Vaughn has prepared for those requesting his help. This has included notices of motion, notices of application, affidavits and other legal documents that ANY PERSON is technically allowed to do on her/his own if he/she possesses the know-how. The Law Society will be seeking to expand on the already ridiculously restrictive conditions on Vaughn, aiming to prevent him from engaging in ANY communication with the court on someone else’s or EVEN ON HIS OWN BEHALF.

Please support Vaughn in his struggle. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at asaf@citizenspress.org.

Sincerely and in solidarity

Asaf Rashid
(Along with Vaughn, one of the founding member of the Advocacy Collective, a justice-for-the poor, Fredericton-based collective that is currently in hibernation).