The first hearing is eight days. It's the interview and then the hearings. But you can't get legal aid within eight days--in Ontario anyway.
So even though you have said that you would crack down and legislate on the whole issue of unscrupulous consultants--we all agree that we have to crack down on these folks--if a claimant can't get a legal aid lawyer because he can't get legal aid that quickly...these folks are going to turn to the unscrupulous consultants, some of them, because of the speed on the front end.
Have you considered saying that everyone who is going to be represented in this matter must be either a lawyer or legislated...by somebody? That's so your staff would not be considering people who are being represented by folks who may have no credibility--