New lawyer in Sharbot Lake

Dec 01, 2011

Photo: Eccelstone and Eccelstone associate Dawn Quelch

Dawn Quelch, an associate of Eccelstone and Eccelstone LLP law firm of Kingston, had a full day seeing clients in Sharbot Lake on Nov.25, proving that there is indeed a need for increased law services in rural areas.

The Kingston firm was approached by Anne-Marie Langan, of Langan Family Law in Sharbot Lake, after Langan identified a need for additional law services for her clients and other potentials clients, especially, but not exclusively, in the area of criminal representation.

Langan, who had studied law with the firm’s junior partner Chris Eccelstone, met him by chance at the Family Court in Kingston and the two began discussing some of the issues surrounding access to justice issues, and the affordability of counsel. She expressed a need for additional services in this area and is now helping to fill that need by offering her offices to the firm as a location to serve clients in the area.

Eccelstone associate Dawn Quelch is offering clients a free half-hour consultation every Friday in areas of criminal law, real estate, wills, powers of attorney and other areas. This past Friday she discussed various issues including criminal law, estates, solicitor drafting work and more with a number of potential clients.

Quelch grew up in Atikokan, a small town in western Ontario, near Thunder Bay. She received an undergraduate degree at York University and worked in publishing at General and Stoddart in Toronto before studying Law at Queen’s University, where she graduated in 2006.

While at Queen’s she was a member of the Clinical Correctional Law Program and represented incarcerated inmates at various prisons, helping them with both street charges and disciplinary court. She articled with the Crown Attorney in Kenora, Ontario and worked at a number of fly-in reserves in the area, dealing primarily with Aboriginal issues.

Married and with a young daughter, she now resides in Kingston and is thrilled to be back in eastern Ontario, where she finds it’s “a nice balance between urban and rural living.” Her goal is to provide counsel to those in need and she is encouraged by the number of clients she saw on her first day.

“I want clients to get a feel for me and to make sure that I am somebody that they have faith and confidence in. It’s also a chance for me to find out the reasons they are coming to see me and to give them a preliminary outline of what they might be facing and what happens next. It’s a chance to talk about the business of hiring a lawyer, whether they will be seeking legal aid or establishing a private retainer. We really try to work with the clients as much as we can to make sure that when they are in need of representation, they are able to get it. There aren’t enough lawyers accessible to the public in rural Ontario - the Law Society has identified this as a problem.”

Quelch’s advice for those who have been charged with a criminal offence and who think they might be eligible for legal aid, is to make an appointment, but also to get their application in for legal aid as soon as possible. They can do without having decided who is to be their legal representative.

Other advice for those coming for a consultation is to: Bring photo ID to confirm identity, which is a requirement of the Law Society. 2) Bring any court papers or other documentation pertaining to the matter, and 3) bring the date of their first court appearance

For wills, she advises clients to pick up a wills information package at the Sharbot lake office and to fill it out prior to the consultation. Quelch says this can save a lot of time.

To make an appointment call the Kingston branch of Eccelstone and Eccelstone at 613-384-0735 and be sure to specify whether you would like your consultation to take place at the Kingston or Sharbot Lake branch at 1012B Elizabeth Street.