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Script 430 gives information only, not legal advice. If you have a legal problem or need legal advice, you should speak to a lawyer. For the name of a lawyer to consult, call Lawyer Referral at 604.687.3221 in the lower mainland or 1.800.663.1919 elsewhere in British Columbia.
People sometimes grumble about the high cost of lawyers’ services. But many people don’t know that there’s a great deal of legal information and advice available at a very low cost – and even free in some cases. Because this script goes into some detail about what’s available, it is fairly long, so if you’re listening to this (as opposed to reading it), make sure you have a pen and paper handy to write down the phone numbers and websites mentioned.
Some sources for free legal information include:
BC Courthouse Library Society: www.bccls.bc.ca
It provides legal information services to the legal community and the general public of British Columbia. Their toll free number is 1.800.665.2570.
Clicklaw: www.clicklaw.bc.ca
Clicklaw is a website aimed at enhancing access to justice in BC. It features legal information and education designed for the public from many contributor organizations. Clicklaw's mission is to provide equitable access to quality legal information, education and help for British Columbians.
Dial-A-Law: www.dialalaw.org
Dial-A-Law is a library of free legal information prepared by lawyers. The program is funded by the Law Foundation of BC and operated by the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch. It is available:
- by phone, as recorded scripts, at 604.687.4680 in the lower mainland or 1.800.565.5297 elsewhere in BC, and
- by audio and text, on the CBA BC Branch website.
Justice Education Society: www.justiceeducation.ca
Justice Education Society, formerly the Law Courts Education Society, is dedicated to improving access to the legal system through hands-on, targeted, two-way education between the public and those working in the justice system. Call 604.660.9870 in Vancouver for enquiries.
Legal Services Society (LSS): www.lss.bc.ca
LSS provides free legal information publications in a number of languages, both in print and on their website.
- Publications: www.lss.bc.ca/publications/default.aspx
These publications deal with family law, child protection, immigration issues, criminal matters and poverty law. Browse the Public Legal Education and Information Resource Catalogue (BC) (PDF) for a description of the print, online, and audio-visual materials, and the workshops/courses offered by eight BC public legal education and information providing organizations.
- Other websites maintained or funded by LSS:
- Family Law in British Columbia: www.familylaw.lss.bc.ca
It includes self-help materials to help people resolve family law problems, current family law information and resources, and links to useful related sites.
- PovNet: www.povnet.org
It provides current information about poverty issues in BC and Canada for advocates, community groups, and people on welfare.
- Legal info outreach workers (LIOWs): www.lss.bc.ca/legal_aid/legalInformationOutreachWorkers.asp
LIOWs are LSS staff located throughout the province who provide the public with legal information. They also visit community groups to talk about LSS services and gather feedback. To contact a legal information outreach worker, call the regional centre closest to you:
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Kelowna
307 – 1664 Richter Street
250.763.8613
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Nanaimo
302 – 65 Front Street
250.741.5447
1.800.578.8511 (toll free)
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Prince George
302 – 1488 Fourth Avenue
250.564.9717
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Surrey
Surrey City Centre Mall Ltd.
1370 – 13450 102nd Avenue
604.585.6595
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Terrace
207– 3228 Kalum Street
250.635.2133 or
1.800.787.2511 (toll free)
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Vancouver
400 – 510 Burrard Street
604-601-6166
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Victoria
200 – 747 Fort Street
250.388.4516
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Native Courtworker and Counselling Association of BC (NCCABC): www.nccabc.ca
It provides culturally appropriate services to aboriginal people and communities consistent with their needs. Their toll free numbers are 1.877.771.9444 in the lower mainland, 1-877-949-7288 in southern coast, 1-888-785-5516 in northern interior and 1-877-811-1190 for administration. Select “About Us” then “Our Team” from the website for a list of local numbers.
The Multilingual Legal Web Site: www.multilingolegal.ca
It is a new online resource designed to access to legal publications in Spanish, French, Vietnamese, Chinese, Punjabi, Persian, Korean, and Arabic. Topics include: abuse, child protection, court orders, family violence, newcomers services and resources, welfare, and victim services. The site is sponsored by the Latin American Community Council and MOSAIC and is funded by the Law Foundation of BC.
The Public Legal Education Society (also know as the People’s Law School)
This non-profit organization sponsors free lectures on a great variety of legal topics, taught mainly by lawyers. To contact the People’s Law School, phone 604.331.5400, or see their website at www.publiclegaled.bc.ca.
The Public Library
Provincial and federal statutes can be found there, as well as many books about the law written especially for non-lawyers. Ask your reference librarian for help in finding what you need.
You have a legal problem, or at least you think you do, and you need some free or inexpensive help. Then the following services may be able to help you:
Lawyer Referral Service
It’s a public service offered by the BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, the same organization that operates Dial-A-Law. Call 604.687.3221 in the Lower Mainland or 1.800.663.1919 toll-free elsewhere in British Columbia. Explain briefly the type of problem, and the service will give you the name of a lawyer. Phone the lawyer and make an appointment. Tell the lawyer that Lawyer Referral Service sent you. The lawyer will give you up to a 30-minute appointment for $25. At the appointment, the lawyer will tell you if you have a legal problem. Then, if you and the lawyer agree, you can hire that lawyer at their normal rate. But you don't have to use that lawyer. You may decide you don't have a legal problem and don't need a lawyer. Or you may decide to shop around and find another lawyer.
Services provided by Legal Services Society (LSS): www.lss.bc.ca
- LawLINE: www.lss.bc.ca/general/LawLINE.asp
LawLINE is a free phone service of the Legal Services Society (LSS) designed to help people who don’t qualify for a legal aid lawyer to represent them. Call 604.408.2172 in the Lower Mainland, or 1.866.577.2525 toll-free elsewhere in BC. LawLINE staff provide low-income people with legal advice in the areas of debtors’ assistance; employment law; family law; health, estates law, and seniors’ issues; housing law; and income security law. Staff also direct callers to other information or services that can help them resolve their legal problems.
LawLINE is accessible in many different languages through an online interpreter service. As well, the recorded messages people hear before they are connected to staff are available in the following languages: Cantonese, English, French, Mandarin, Punjabi, and Spanish.
- Legal Aid: www.lss.bc.ca/legal_aid/
Legal representation is available for specific types of criminal, family (including child protection) and immigration cases, as well as for some prison issues and mental health review panels and hearings. Phone 604.408.2172 in the Lower Mainland or 1.866.577.2525 toll-free elsewhere in BC.
- Brydges Line
If you are being investigated for a crime, or have been arrested or detained, you can get 24-hour access to emergency legal advice by phoning the “Brydges Line,” available through the Legal Services Society at 1.866.458.5500 toll-free in the Lower Mainland or 1.866.458.3300 toll-free throughout the province.
- Duty Counsel
Duty counsels are lawyers paid by LSS to provide legal services to in and out of custody accused people in Provincial Court. Duty counsel can provide you with advice about the charges against you, court procedures, and your legal rights (including the right to counsel and the right to apply for legal aid). Duty counsel can also represent you at a bail hearing, and, if there is time, help with a guilty plea. While you do not have to be financially eligible for legal aid to receive duty counsel services, you must meet LSS coverage and eligibility requirements to get a referral for ongoing representation.
- Family Advice Lawyer Project
It is a joint project of LSS and the Ministry of Attorney General's Family Justice Services Division. This service is available in family justice counsellors’ offices in Kamloops, Kelowna, Prince George, Surrey, Vancouver, and Victoria. You must be referred to the service by a family justice counsellor or a child support officer. If you are a low-income parent experiencing separation or divorce, you may be eligible for up to three hours of free legal advice from the Family Advice Lawyer Project. Project lawyers can provide advice about custody, access, guardianship, and child support; property (limited); tentative settlement agreements; and court procedures. Call Enquiry BC at 604.660.2421 from Vancouver, 250.387.6121 from Victoria or 1.800.663.7867 from anywhere else in the province, and ask to be connected to a family justice counsellor’s office in one of the locations above.
- Family Duty Counsel
Family duty counsels are lawyers paid by LSS to assist people with family law problems or child protection issues (where the Ministry for Children and Families becomes involved with your family). If you do not have your own lawyer, duty counsel can give you advice and speak on your behalf in court on simple matters. Duty counsel may be able to help you even if you are not eligible financially. Duty counsel will not take on your whole case and will not represent you at a trial. You can make an appointment to see family duty counsel in Port Coquitlam, Surrey, Vancouver and Justice Access Centre in Nanaimo. Walk-ins are also welcome. At other locations, family duty counsel is a drop-in service. No appointments are made and people are helped on a first come, first served basis. The lawyers must first help people who have matters in court that day, but can assist others once they are not needed in court. Call your local court registry to see if they have started family duty counsel services. To find your local court registry, look in the blue pages of your phone book under "Government of British Columbia—Court Services" or call 604.408.2172 in the Lower Mainland or 1.866.577.2525 toll-free elsewhere in BC.
- Supreme Court Advice Lawyer Project
If you are a low-income parent experiencing separation or divorce, you may be eligible for up to three hours of free legal advice from the Supreme Court Advice Lawyer Project. Project lawyers can provide advice about custody, access, guardianship, child support, property (limited), tentative settlement agreements and court procedures. Call the Supreme Court registry find out when the advice lawyer is available. For the addresses and phone numbers of BC Supreme Court registries, look in the blue pages of your phone book under "Government of British Columbia — Court Services" or phone 604.408.2172 in the Lower Mainland or 1.866.577.2525 toll-free elsewhere in BC.
Pro Bono Legal Services
“Pro bono” basically means “free,” and in these programs, private and experienced lawyers volunteer to provide free legal advice to those who can’t reasonably afford a lawyer or can’t get Legal Aid.
- BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre: www.bcpiac.com
BCPIAC is a non-profit, public interest law office. Its task is to provide representation to groups that would not otherwise have the resources to effectively assert their interests. Call 604.687.3063 in Vancouver.
- Community Legal Assistance Society (CLAS): www.clasbc.net
The purpose of the Community Legal Assistance Society (CLAS) is to provide legal advice and assistance and to use and develop the law for the benefit of people who are physically, mentally, socially, economically or otherwise disadvantaged or whose human rights need protection. Call 604.685.3425 in Vancouver or toll free 1.888.685.6222.
- Immigration & Multicultural Services:
- Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA): www.amssa.org
AMSSA provides leadership in advocacy and education in British Columbia for anti-racism, human rights, and social justice. AMSSA supports its members in serving immigrants, refugees and culturally diverse communities. Call 604.718.2780 or 1.888.355.5560 in Vancouver.
- Immigrant Services Society of BC: www.issbc.org
Immigrant Services Society of BC (ISS) will continue to be a leader in identifying the needs of immigrants and refugees and in developing, demonstrating and delivering effective, quality programs and services which meet those needs. Call 604.684.7498 or 604.684.2561 in Vancouver.
- MOSAIC: www.mosaicbc.com
MOSAIC is a multilingual non-profit organization dedicated to addressing issues that affect immigrants and refugees in the course of their settlement and integration into Canadian society. Call 604.254.9626 in Vancouver.
- S.U.C.C.E.S.S.: www.successbc.ca
S.U.C.C.E.S.S. supports the well being of Canadians and immigrants from diverse ethnic origins through the provision of social, educational and health services, business and community development, and advocacy. Call 604.684.1628 in Vancouver for general inquiries.
- Justice Access Centre: www.justiceaccesscentre.bc.ca
The Justice Access Centre in Nanaimo is the place to go when you need help with problems and legal issues that affect your everyday life such as separation or divorce, income security, employment, housing or debt. Call toll free 1.800.578.8511 in Nanaimo.
Pro Bono Law of BC: www.probononet.bc.ca
It is an innovative, collaborative pro bono system advancing access to justice and serving the legal needs of people and non-profit organizations of limited means throughout British Columbia, which is funded by the Law Society of British Columbia and the Law Foundation of British Columbia. Call 604.893.8932 in Vancouver.
- Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre (TRAC): www.tenants.bc.ca
TRAC is a Vancouver-based non-profit organization that offers services on legal information for tenants, publications on tenants’ rights, organizing tenants and workshops. Call 604.255.0546 in Vancouver or toll free 1.800.665.1185.
- The Salvation Army BC Pro Bono Lawyer Consultant Program: www.probono.ca
It is offered through the Salvation Army, and clinics are offered throughout the province. The volunteer lawyers won’t actually do the legal work for you, but they will help prepare and lead you through the court process. Call 604.694.6647. You’ll be put in touch with the appropriate clinic closest to you, where you can make an appointment to see a lawyer.
- The Western Canada Society to Access Justice: www.accessjustice.ca
It is a non-profit society. Their directors and volunteer lawyers are dedicated to justice for those who cannot afford it. All services are free. The client access number is 604.878.7400 in Greater Vancouver or 1.877.762.6664 from anywhere else in the province.
Law School Student Services
- The Law Student’s Legal Advice Program (LSLAP): www.lslap.bc.ca
It is a student-run organization that provides legal advice to those who cannot otherwise afford such assistance. Since recent cutbacks to Legal Aid in the province, LSLAP has become increasingly important in dispensing free legal advice. The main number is 604.822.5791. Their manual of free legal information is available online.
- The Law Centre: www.thelawcentre.ca
It is a service of the University of Victoria, Faculty of Law. It provides advice, assistance and representation to clients who cannot afford a lawyer. Free legal representation is for those who are qualified for legal assistance. Call 250.385.1221 or check their website for more information.
Private Lawyers
If you want to talk to a lawyer of your choice, but you’re afraid of what it might cost, call the lawyer and ask what they would charge for an initial consultation. Some lawyers don’t charge for the first interview and others charge very little.
Legal Researches and Websites
- Best Guide to Canadian Legal Research: www.legalresearch.org
A starting point for legal research. Effective strategies and techniques for Canadian legal research, find and using secondary sources, finding and analyzing cases, updating your research, legal writing, and frequently asked questions.
- Access to Justice Network: www.acjnet.org
Another starting point for legal research, including information on hundreds of legal topics.
- Department of Justice, Canada: www.canada.justice.gc.ca
Information on issues related to federal laws. For example, federal statutes and regulations, constitutional documents, court decisions, child support guidelines, and immigration matters.
- BC Ministry of Attorney General: www.gov.bc.ca/ag
The website has information on the court system, family issues including Family Maintenance Enforcement, dispute resolution and other related links.
- Provincial Court of British Columbia: www.provincialcourt.bc.ca
Information on appeals, alternatives trial, frequently asked questions, the complaint process, a court locations map as well as some information about criminal, youth, family, small claims, traffic, bylaw matters and related laws.
- BC Supreme Court and BC Appeal Court: www.courts.gov.bc.ca
This website has the Rules of Court and decisions that you can study.
Other Information and Referral Services
- Information Services Vancouver is BC’s largest provider of information and referral services. Staff can provide information and refer you to the appropriate community, service or government agency. Call 604.875.6381.
- If you live in the Okanagan area of BC, you can call the Social Planning Council for the North Okanagan at 250.545.8572 or visit www.socialplanning.ca. They’ve published a "Can We Help You?" guide to community services that are available primarily in the Okanagan.
- Information Services Vancouver operates “VictimLINK”, a 24-hour phone line for victims of all crimes anywhere in BC. Call 1.800.563.0808 toll-free from anywhere in the province.
Some other Resources for Legal Information
[updated January 2010]
Dial-A-Law© is a library of legal information that is available:
- by phone, as recorded scripts, and
- by audio and text, on the CBA BC Branch website.
To access Dial-A-Law, call 604.687.4680 in the lower mainland or 1.800.565.5297 elsewhere in BC. Dial-A-Law is available online at www.cba.org/bc in Public & Media.
The Dial-A-Law library is prepared by lawyers and gives practical information on many areas of law in British Columbia. Dial-A-Law is funded by the Law Foundation of British Columbia and sponsored by the Canadian Bar Association, British Columbia Branch.
© Copyright 1983-2010 The Canadian Bar Association, British Columbia Branch
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