Paralegal runs ‘for the law’ in raising awareness of access to legal resources

Run for the Law fundraiser

Photo: Submitted

Thomas Mellish.

Most people run from the law, not for it.

But for Thomas Mellish, a paralegal with McEwan and Co. Law Corporation in Trail, on Sept. 26 he was “Running for the Law” on the Old Cascade Highway from Rossland to Christina Lake in support of Nelson CARES’ Advocacy Centre.

Clocking in a total of 65 kilometres, and over 4,500 feet of elevation gain, the run was almost as hard as navigating the complex legal and government structures that the Advocacy Centre helps people negotiate every day.

Mellish’s run was to raise awareness of the gaps in the legal system in the Kootenay District. Only one per cent of the lawyers who are qualified to work in British Columbia choose to work within the Kootenay District. And, with many of the lawyers working in the region nearing retirement, when they do retire this shortage will only become more acute.

As a result, people are naturally forced to address their legal concerns themselves, which can have unexpected and devastating consequences.

“Thankfully, the Advocacy Centre helps to fill these gaps,” said Stephanie Myers, spokesperson for the Advocacy Centre. “Those who are navigating the legal system can discuss the legal landscape with an advocate, consider the available options, and, perhaps most importantly, be emotionally supported to make an informed decision.”

All this comes at no cost to the person asking for help.

“I am a runner; I use this time to unwind from the intensity of working within a stressed legal system,” said Mellish. “The Old Cascade Highway has become my go-to running route since moving to Rossland. And why not? With its rolling slopes and babbling creeks I can run for miles while the stress melts away.”

Unfortunately, since moving to Rossland and learning about the proposed magnesium mine on Record Ridge, the Old Cascade Highway is under threat, he pointed out.

“It only seems right, then, to raise money for the Advocacy Centre by running along the Old Cascade Highway, to bring attention to both of these important issues,” Mellish said.