Legal Help Resources - list

Worksheet #1: Meeting with a Lawyer
This worksheet provides a checklist that will help you prepare to meet with a lawyer for the first time. It will help you use your meeting time effectively and make sure you leave with all the information you will need.

Worksheet #2: Representing Yourself
This worksheet will help you understand what is involved in handling your own legal case and what information you need to find out. It will also help you decide if you are capable of handling your own case.

Worksheet #3: Unbundled Legal Services
This worksheet will help you if you have agreed to handle some of your own legal work. It allows you to keep track of what work you have agreed to do and what work the lawyer will be doing.

Lawyer Referral Service
The BC branch of the Canadian Bar Association offers a lawyer referral service. With a phone call (1-800-663-1919), you can get the contact information of a qualified lawyer who works in the area of law that you need. You will be able to meet with that lawyer for up to 30 minutes for only $25.

Duty Counsel (at a courthouse)
Duty counsel is a lawyer at the courthouse who can give you quick and free legal advice, and may be able to assist you briefly in Provincial Court for criminal and family law matters. For example, duty counsel could help you postpone your case or represent you in a bail hearing. Duty counsel cannot represent you at a trial.

Access Pro Bono Society of BC
If you cannot afford a lawyer, Access Pro Bono may be able to help you find lawyers that give free legal assistance in criminal, family, immigration and civil matters. Access Pro Bono lawyers do not represent clients in court, but they do give legal advice and help clients prepare for court appearances. For more information, and to find a clinic near you, phone 604-878-7400 or 1-877-762-6664.

Salvation Army Pro Bono Program
In this program, volunteer lawyers offer summary legal advice to people who cannot afford to pay for a lawyer but who are ineligible for legal aid. Legal problems can involve criminal, family, immigration, labour and welfare law as well as civil matters like residential tenancy disputes, small claims and bankruptcy proceedings.

To qualify for the program, clients must be ineligible for legal aid and must meet financial criteria - having a monthly household income not exceeding $1,500 for a single person (or $2,500 for a person with one or more dependants) and holding no more than $30,000 in equity. For more information, phone (604) 694-6647.

Legal Aid
The Legal Services Society provides legal aid, which includes legal information, legal advice and legal representation. To apply for a legal aid lawyer to help you with a family, criminal, or immigration problem, or to get legal information or advice, you have to visit a legal aid office or courthouse location, or call the Society’s Call Centre at 604-408-2172 or 1-866-577-2525.

Justice Access Centres
There are two Justice Access Centres in BC - one in Vancouver (290 – 800 Hornby St.; 604-660-2084) and one in Nanaimo (302 – 65 Front St.; 250-741-5447). Justice Access Centres provide in-person help for family and civil law problems – but they do not provide help with criminal or Small Claims Court cases. The staff at these centres can help you find what you need, provide information about your legal issues, and in some instances, connect you with additional help both onsite and offsite. If you live near Vancouver or Nanaimo, these centres are the best place to go for help with your family or civil law problem.

Law Students’ Legal Advice Program
This program is run by law students at the University of British Columbia. It provides free advice and representation to clients who would otherwise be unable to afford legal assistance. Clinics are located throughout Greater Vancouver. To book an appointment, phone 604-822-5791. In addition, has a very easy-to-use manual that provides quick answers to many legal issues on its website: www.lslap.bc.ca.

Dial-a-Law
You can use the telephone to call Dial-a-Law and listen to pre-recorded information about specific areas of law. Call Dial-a-Law at 1-800-565-5297 – or visit www.DialALaw.org to read scripted text. The recordings and text are available in English, Chinese, and Punjabi. They can provide you with a good overview of the law in your case. This is a free service.

Courthouse Library
You can go to a courthouse library. Although librarians cannot give you legal advice, they can help you find information about the law that applies to your case, and help you find legislation, regulations, and case law. Legislation is the law that the federal, provincial, or municipal government makes. Regulations give you more information about a particular law. For example, one of the regulations to the Motor Vehicle Act tells you which type of helmets have been approved for safe driving of a motorcycle. Case law is the decisions that other judges have made in cases similar to yours.

You can learn a great deal about the law in your case by reading about past cases that were similar to yours. Librarians at the courthouse can also help you find information that is available on the Internet.

For more information, and to find a location near you, phone 604-660-2841 or 1-800-665-2570.

ImmigrantLegal.ca
ImmigrantLegal.ca provides a service agency directory, fact sheets, forms, frequently asked questions, instructional videos and related website links - all on the topics of Employment Standards, Residential Tenancy, Family Law and Domestic Violence. Some resources are available in more than 10 languages.
 

SupremeCourtBC.ca
This online help guide provides a range of information on British Columbia's Supreme Court. The site features introductory videos and provides self-help resources for Civil Matters, Family Law and Criminal Law. Key resources include: Civil Guidebooks, Legal Help and Information if You Represent Yourself, Court Tips for Parents, and more.
 

SmallClaimsBC.ca
SmallClaimsBC.ca provides an introduction to the Small Claims Pilot, which aims to ensure faster and earlier solutions to small claims cases. The site’s videos explain summary and simplified trials, mediations, trials and trial conferences. The site also features downloadable forms and provides information in English, French, Simplified Chinese, Punjabi and Vietnamese.
 

AdminLawBC.ca
AdminLawBC.ca helps British Columbians learn about administrative law as well as search and prepare for a tribunal by bringing information on the complete range of administrative law resources together under one domain. The website features three videos, the BC Admin Law Directory of 100+ tribunals and a list of experts available to speak about numerous administrative law areas. Information is provided in English, Chinese, Punjabi and Spanish.
 

Ministry of the Attorney General
The Ministry of Attorney General is responsible for managing BC's justice system. The Ministry's website has resources and information on numerous topics, including the court system, family law issues, dispute resolution and Court Services Online - which lets users view, fill out and submit court records and documents.
 

British Columbia’s Courts
This website provides information about BC’s three courts: Provincial Court, Supreme Court, and Court of Appeal. You can search recent judgments as well as learn about case scheduling and the cases each court hears.
 

Clicklaw
Clicklaw is a website that features legal information and education from more than 24 public legal education contributors. Access a broad range of legal information and help solve your legal problem.
 

MOSAIC
MOSAIC is a multilingual organization dedicated to addressing issues that affect immigrants and refugees in the course of their settlement and integration into Canadian society.  MOSAIC's website can help you understand some basic areas of law and provides publications in nine languages.
 

Family Law in BC
The Legal Services Society's Family Law website is an important resource for all information related to family law. Resources and self-help materials are available to help people resolve family law problems such as separation and divorce, child and spousal support, custody and adoption. Information is available in 12 languages.
 

Dial-A-law
Dial-A-Law is a library of legal information available in audio and text form in English, Simplified Chinese and Punjabi. You can have the option of viewing text-based information or listening to audio recordings of the information on your computer or over the phone (604.687.4680; 1.800.565.5297). All the information is presented in a Question-and-Answer format.
 

JusticeBC.ca
JusticeBC contains easily accessible information for court users, victims of crime, witnesses, offenders and anyone interested in knowing more about the criminal justice system. People can navigate through the information by using roles, such as juror or victim, or by need, such as understanding services and resources.
 

PovNet
PovNet provides online tools that facilitate communication, community and access to information around poverty-related issues in British Columbia and Canada. It works to collect relevant news and resources of use to advocates, community workers, marginalized communities and the general public.
 

Legal Services Society
The Legal Services Society’s website has a great deal of information on many legal topics. You can also find “self help kits” to help you do some things yourself, like handling your own divorce.