Capacity to Instruct Counsel: Promoting, Respecting and
Asserting Decision-Making Autonomy^1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................... 3
II. CAPACITY TO INSTRUCT COUNSEL ..................................................................... 4
III. CAPACITY AND PROFESSIONAL OBLIGATIONS ................................................. 7
IV. ACCOMMODATION .................................................................................................. 9
V. CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ................. 12
VI. PRACTICE SUGGESTIONS ................................................................................... 13
VII. COMMENCING LITIGATION .................................................................................. 15
A. Delegation of Authority Under the Human Rights Code ..................................... 15
B. Litigation Guardians .............................................................................................. 16
VIII. CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................... 17
(^1) This article is a revision and update of a number of previous, similar articles written by ARCH
lawyers and relies heavily on an earlier edition of the Disability Primer 2003, and in particular,
Phyllis Gordon’s Chapter entitled “Notes on Capacity to Instruct Counsel”. I would also like to
acknowledge an update to Ms. Gordon’s paper which was prepared in 2010 by Ed Montigny,
Staff Lawyer at ARCH Disability Law Centre.