Power to the People
by John Blois

A Day in the Life of Dial-A-Law
Mr. Smith returns from a business trip to find he is locked out of his apartment – an eviction notice stuck to his door. He panics, needing help, but does not know what to do or where to turn. Suddenly, he remembers Dial-A-Law (DAL), which a friend had recently raved about. He quickly fires up his laptop at the neighbourhood coffee shop, goes to the DAL website, and gets basic legal information on tenancy. His panic subsides as he formulates a plan to call the Lawyer Referral Service for the names of lawyers who specialize in tenancy law. Another hour, another legal crisis resolved – Dial-A-Law’s reputation continues to grow.

What is Dial-A-Law?
A free service offering practical legal information to the public – by phone and website – on more than 130 topics. It gives the real story, not the Law-and-Order version. Operated by the B.C. Branch of the Canadian Bar Association and funded by the Law Foundation of B.C., DAL is unique in Canada. It explains the law in clear language, taking it from the ivory tower to the man and woman on the street. If knowledge is power, DAL has empowered a generation to better understand the law, the legal system, and their rights and responsibilities. It’s available in Chinese and Punjabi, in addition to English.

Demystifying the Law for the Public
“When I was working on updating some Dial-A-Law scripts in my practice area, I found that the process of writing for the lay person really made me take stock of what a person with a legal problem is looking for when it comes to advice. I know that my own understanding of my practice area, criminal law, has changed for the better through the volunteer work that I did on DAL scripts.

The Dial-A-Law scripts are very powerful tools for the lay person because they distil to the essentials basic legal problems. Each DAL script, really a pamphlet, demystifies the law for the public. I feel that we are providing something that enhances the profile of lawyers and puts a worried person with a legal problem in a much more knowledgeable position.” -Timothy D. Klaassen, volunteer lawyer for DAL and Chair of CBABC Dial-A-Law Advisory Committee.

Amazing Growth
In the past 16 years, DAL grew from 63,000 phone calls to more than 400,000 phone calls and website visits. DAL started as a manual phone program. Today it is automated by phone and available online by punching in a script number and hearing a recording of the script. The website was launched in October 2000 and is now so heavily used; the program could be called Click-A-Law. Last year, DAL had 23,000 phone calls and 386,000 website visits (up from 6000 website visits six years ago).

Best Sellers
Some of the most popular DAL topics over the past 10 years:

• Family law (separation, divorce, custody and access, child and spousal support)
• Employment law
• Drinking and driving law
• Criminal-law penalties.

Topics Covered
DAL covers 13 broad categories: family law; small claims court; wills and estates; automobiles; youth and the law; criminal law; housing; employment and social benefits; credit, debt and consumer; commercial law; your rights; health law; lawyers’ legal services, and courts.

Common Questions
DAL answers many common questions, such as:

• Can they fire me because I got sick?
• Can I do anything about my neighbour’s noisy dog?
• What are my rights if my spouse leaves and takes the kids?
• What happens if I can’t pay my credit card bill?
• Can my landlord evict me?
• Should I buy a used car from someone selling a bunch of them from his backyard?

Guideposts for People with Legal Problems
“I am amazed when I see the dramatic shift from phone to web use of the simple explanations of legal concepts that make up the DAL scripts. The number of people connecting with the program via the web is astounding. I had no idea that so many people with legal problems were looking for some basic guideposts to help them on their way. It is particularly gratifying knowing that every DAL script gets across – to anyone who reads it – why people with a legal problem need to contact a lawyer for help. I expect that the profile of lawyers has been enhanced through this groundswell of interest in DAL.” -Timothy D. Klaassen

DAL as a Starting Point
In addition to giving basic legal information, DAL directs users to many other places for help, such as the B.C. Legal Services Society, the Law Courts Education Society and various government agencies and self-regulatory organizations. Most scripts have several links and references to more information. With regular updates, scripts remain current and accurate. But DAL doesn’t try to explain everything to everyone. It does not give legal advice; instead, scripts recommend that users contact a lawyer if they have a legal problem or need legal advice.

Who Does What in DAL?

• Lawyers – about 240 lawyers have volunteered for the program and provide the legal content.
• Writers – Janice Mucalov and John Blois, both legal writers, flesh out the content and ensure the scripts are clear, consistent and concise. They translate any lurking legalese to clear language the public can understand.
• Announcer – Elaine Scollan, news and traffic announcer at radio stations JRFM 93.7and 600 AM, smoothly records the scripts for the audio part of the program, ably assisted by production technician Robin Hagenbuck of CFUN 1410 AM.
• Staff – Lorna O’Grady manages DAL and Lawyer Referral Service, supervising a staff of three people who make the whole program actually work. Annie Chen, Lawyer Referral Service Operator, provides the public with referrals to lawyers registered with this service. Annie also codes scripts for the website and provides translation for Chinese scripts. Patricia Jordan, Web Manager, publishes the scripts on the CBABC website. Christine Zhang and Hannah Brinkerhoff, Lawyer Referral Service operators, provide referrals to the public, send brochures to various organizations in B.C. to promote the service, and track and report statistics.

The Future
If DAL’s rapid growth continues, and it educates everyone about the law, lawyers may volunteer themselves out of business. Of course, that will never happen. DAL educates the public with legal information. But lawyers will always be needed to give legal advice on specific situations, just as surgeons will always be needed to do the actual surgery. A well-informed public means that lawyers can provide better service to clients. And clients can better understand and appreciate the value and service their lawyers provide.

For the next 25 years, DAL will inform the next generation of B.C. residents and improve the legal community. It will help ensure that people actually understand the laws that govern them and know when they need a lawyer.

How to Access Dial-A-Law
Visit Dial-A-Law online at www.dialalaw.org or by phone at 604-687-4680 (in the Lower Mainland) or 1-800-565-5297 (elsewhere in B.C.).

How to Get Involved in Dial-A-Law
Lawyers volunteer their service to update Dial-A-Law scripts. Lawyers who register for the Lawyer Referral Service indicate on the registration form if they also want to participate in DAL. To get a registration form, go to www.cba.org/bc/Initiatives/main/lawyer_referral.aspx or call Lorna O’Grady at 604-646-7858.

This article was published in the February 2008 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2008, all rights reserved.