PortaLaw has been a registered benefit company since January 25, 2021. This means we are a for-profit business that promotes public benefits such as charitable, economic, education or environment activities.

We are required by law to publish an annual report about our benefit-related activities. This report covers PortaLaw’s activities during our third fiscal year, which ended on October 31, 2022. See our 2021 report here.  

Diversity + Inclusion. In March of 2022, PortaLaw became part of the TransFriendly community. In joining this platform, we signed a pledge to treat all trans and non-binary clients with dignity and respect. Members of the TransFriendly community are welcome to place the TransFriendly badge on their website to highlight commitment to the TransFriendly pledge. You can find ours at the bottom of our website on any page.

We continue to display our pronouns and name pronunciations with our biographies.

Environment. Our entire team continues to work from home, only driving out to our workshare space (Suite Genius) for team meetings and social gatherings. We also continue to rely on different e-solutions to assist with our work (for example, Telus Business Connect, Lawmatics, and Clio Manage), subscribe to textbooks online through CLE BC, Quicklaw and other resources, and choose digital document management options in our client and internal workings. We are continuing to minimize our carbon footprint in these ways.

Education. In 2022, our team contributed to public not-for-profit legal education by presenting on a variety of topics to a variety of audiences, including:

• Parmvir Padda at the CLE Employment Law Conference on COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates and Accommodations.

• Erin Brandt and Paula Krawus at the CLE Going Solo or Starting a Small Firm 2022 Course.

• James and Paula also held open “office hours” for members of our co-working space, Suite Genius, to come in, have a coffee and discuss their workplace questions.

Alongside speaking engagements, our team continues to expand OpenPorta, a free online resource center for workplace-related legal issues. In addition, we gave OpenPorta a fresh look! Through OpenPorta, we provide accessible legal information for employers and workers through articles and our new case law and legislative updates. Some recent additions include:

• Court and Tribunal Procedures: BC Provincial Court and Employment Standards Branch

• Legal Updates:

  • Paid Sick Leave

  • COVID-19: BC Human Rights Updates

• Essential Employment Law Cases:

  • Contract Law and Employment Standards Minimums

  • Dishonesty and Just Cause

• The Everyday Guide to Employment Law:

  • Employee vs Independent Contractor

Our team also created opportunities for internal learning and training. We participated in individual and group training through transfriendly.com, attended an informative artist talk on the occasion of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and participated in a cultural tour of Stanley Park with Talaysay Tours.

Economic. PortaLaw continued to seek business partners and suppliers that align with our values. We stayed local with our supplier and service providers, including using BCorps, such as Novex and Mills, where possible.

Charitable. Once again, PortaLaw lawyers participated in Access Pro Bono’s annual Advice-a-Thon. We also opened our OpenPorta Employment Law Clinic in partnership with Access Pro Bono’s Summary Advice Program. Through this program, we host monthly clinics to provide free legal advice to low and modest income individuals on employment law issues.

Throughout the year, we offered time-limited free legal consultations for Ukrainian refugees and employers looking to employ refugees. We also donated to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.