Whistler attorney Peter Shrimpton wins provincial award for decades of pro bono perform

Each Tuesday for years now, neighborhood law firm Peter Shrimpton has achieved with lower-money clients, presenting his expert services pro bono to folks who couldn’t if not pay for it.

“I am invariably relieved, elated and just over-all satisfied at the conclusion of every of my conferences since I have been capable to give precious data to someone desperately in need to have of it, and in return I get an abundance of gratitude,” he mentioned. “So, as a consequence, as I joked to my wife, at our Tuesday dinners, I seemingly generally look to be a significantly happier, considerably a lot more fulfilled person at the evening meal desk.”

Now, Shrimpton, principal at Mountain Law Corporation, can include to his perception of achievement soon after currently being named the 2023 receiver of the Dugald Christie Award for Assistance Expert services, a provincial honour recognizing a volunteer attorney or regulation company “showing exceptional dedication to professional bono service by our Summary Assistance Application,” in accordance to Entry Pro Bono, an independent business that helps more than 30,000 British Columbians a yr.

Shrimpton will be honoured at a Vancouver ceremony on Friday, June 23, the 1st time the award will be handed out considering the fact that 2019.

“I’m really honoured,” he reported. “There are about 15,000 legal professionals in B.C., and quite a few of them give a good deal of their time to professional bono do the job, so for me to be singled out is a actual honour.”

For the earlier ten years or so, Shrimpton has made available the weekly group clinic for very low-income people, and the instances generally run the gamut from will and estate organizing to spouse and children regulation, felony law and own injuries. Prior to that, he offered identical professional-bono solutions specifically by way of the Whistler Group Providers Modern society (WCSS). He has also available free of charge authorized advice to WCSS and many other nearby group teams, which include the Whistler Local community Basis, the Cafe Affiliation of Whistler, the Whistler Lakes Conservation Affiliation, the Point Artist-Run Centre Society, and the Whistler Sailing Club. That’s on top of the time he’s spent volunteering on the board of the Whistler Youth Soccer Club, the Whistler Forum for Dialogue and Innovation, the former Whistler Village Church, and the Whistler Skiers’ Chapel, now the Whistler Interfaith Society.

Shrimpton applauded B.C.’s NDP governing administration for the development it has manufactured on growing lawful obtain to small- and middle-cash flow British Columbians, notably through the institution, past spring, of the All people Authorized Clinic, a initial-of-its-sort general public desire law incubator that provides a assortment of reasonably priced legal products and services across the province.

“Our present provincial administration appears to be bringing in layperson-welcoming revisions to our authorized program to make it far more easy to understand and a lot more accessible,” he explained. “I’ve been a strong proponent of that as a result of my job. I have provided likely 100 seminars, specially in the pre-world-wide-web times, on distinct locations of law to community teams, and now fortunately the web does have some wonderful assets, specifically clicklaw.bc.ca.”

Following 30 yrs of practising regulation in Whistler, Shrimpton is readying to hand the reins to attorney and Mountain Law’s longtime company paralegal, Amanda Welton-Hagen.

“She’s very common with my business enterprise clients and in all probability a lot more educated than any younger attorney,” Shrimpton said.

“It’s an remarkable possibility,” the 35-yr-aged Welton-Hagen wrote in an e mail. “Peter has taught me so substantially during my time with Mountain Legislation, and I’m glad to have his continued mentorship guiding the scenes for the subsequent several several years. I’m searching ahead to filling Peter’s huge footwear and continuing to provide the legal requires of Whistler and the Sea to Sky corridor!”

Shrimpton mentioned he is looking ahead to travelling and spending much more time with his four little ones and new spouse, Rose, in retirement. And although he will still be all around to assist Welton-Hagen in the transition, he would like his purchasers to preserve 1 detail in intellect.

“I won’t be giving any legal advice—so please do not question me!” Shrimpton stated with a chortle. 

Learn more at mountainlaw.com.