BarTalk February 2001
Volume 13, Number 1

The Canadian Bar Association and the Law Foundation of BC would like to take this opportunity to thank the members who are currently registered with the Lawyer Referral Service and those who have volunteered to review Dial-A-Law scripts.

The Lawyer Referral Service was established in Vancouver in 1955 by the Law Society of BC. In 1971 responsibility for the service transferred to the Canadian Bar Association. The Dial-A-Law services have been operating since 1982 providing province-wide, toll-free telephone access to 130-recorded tapes. These tapes contain general information on a wide range of legal topics. The scripts of this highly successful service are also accessible at the CBABC Web site (www.bccba.org).

A dual brochure containing both the Dial-A-Law and Lawyer Referral information was designed, printed and prepared for distribution to the public in January 2001. The brochures are a valuable way to advertise the programs. They are distributed to a variety of community services such as Legal Services, libraries, universities, courthouses, etc.

These programs have been a success due to the continued support of BC members. There is currently a demand for members to participate in the Lawyer Referral Service in the interior and in northern BC. In the year 1999/2000 there were 64,091 referrals provided to the general public. The phone numbers for both programs are available in the Telus Yellow Pages, Telus White Pages, brochure distributions and newspapers. Advertisements were placed in the Vancouver Sun and in the Province during the second weekend of January 2001. In 1998/1999 the largest volume of brochures was distributed and the figures shown in the bar chart below indicate the results. During the last fiscal year, which ended in June 2000, 96,756 telephone calls were received.

To register for the Lawyer Referral Service please complete the registration enclosed as a BarTalk insert and fax the completed form to 604.669.9601 or 1.877.669.9601. When you register for the program you will be required to provide up to a half hour consultation for $10 (GST and PST included). The consultations provide clients with information about whether they have a legal problem. The lawyer decides whether to meet in person or provide the consultation by telephone. After the initial consultation the lawyer advises the client that regular rates apply to any additional consultation time after the first half hour.

Further questions about the programs may be directed to the CBABC at 604.687.3404 or 1.888.687.3404.

This article was published in the February 2001 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2005, all rights reserved.