Legal Aid
In BC, the Legal Services Society of BC (LSS) provides legal help, sometimes called legal aid, to low-income people who meet certain criteria. LSS also provides legal information to everyone in the province.
If you want LSS to pay for a lawyer who will represent you in court, your legal problem must be covered by legal aid and you must meet their financial guidelines.
You can find out more about which types of issues are covered by legal aid and the financial guidelines at http://www.lss.bc.ca/legal_aid/legalRepresentation.asp but only a legal aid intake assistant can determine whether or not you qualify for legal aid.
You can apply for legal aid in person or by phone. If you are thinking of applying for legal aid we recommend that you check out Tips for Accessing Legal Aid or go to http://www.lss.bc.ca/legal_aid/howToApply.asp to find out more about the application process.
To apply or to find the regional office nearest you CONTACT:
Legal Services Society:
Tel: (604) 408-2172(Lower Mainland)
Tel: 1-866-577-2525 (No charge outside the Lower Mainland)
Website: http://legalaid.bc.ca/legal_aid/legalAidOffices.asp
Other LSS Services
If you don't qualify for representation by a legal aid lawyer, you may still be able to get some legal help through LSS, including those listed below.
Duty counsel
Duty counsel are lawyers paid for by LSS to help lower-income people with their criminal, family law or immigration problems. There are financial guidelines, but the income cut-off is higher than for legal aid, so even if you were denied legal aid because you earn too much money, you may qualify to talk to a duty counsel lawyer.
Duty counsel work out of the court house and are available to assist you with family matters in both Provincial Court and Supreme Court. Duty counsel can give you legal advice and may be able to speak for you in court on simple matters. Duty counsel cannot take on your whole case or represent you during a trial.
For more information about duty counsel or locate duty counsel in your area, go to:
http://www.lss.bc.ca/legal_aid/legalAdvice.asp
Family Advice Lawyers
If you are a parent with a low-income you may be eligible for up to three hours of free legal advice from a family advice lawyer even if you do not qualify for legal aid. You must be referred to a family advice lawyer by a family justice counsellor or a child support officer. Family advice lawyers are available in Kelowna, Nanaimo, Port Alberni and Vancouver.
For more information about Family Advice Lawyers go to:
http://www.lss.bc.ca/legal_aid/familyAdviceLawyers.asp
To be connected to a family justice counsellor's office contact Enquiry BC at:
Tel: 604-660-2421 (from Vancouver)
Tel: 250-387-6121 (from Victoria)
Tel: 1-800-663-7867 (from outside Vancouver and Victoria)
Legal Information Outreach Workers
Legal aid also provides legal information outreach workers. These are Legal Aid staff that can help identify the legal information available on the Internet or in print materials and refer you to other available Legal Aid and/or community services. Legal information outreach workers are available by phone at two locations: Vancouver and Terrace.
For more information about legal information outreach workers, go to: http://www.lss.bc.ca/legal_aid/legalInformationOutreachWorkers.asp
To reach a legal information outreach worker, contact:
604-601-6166 (Vancouver)
250-635-2133 (Terrance)
1-800-787-2511 (toll free)
Online Legal Services Society publications and information
Legal Services Society produces a number of print and online legal information materials. To browse legal publications go to:
http://www.lss.bc.ca/publications/default.aspx
Legal Services Society also hosts two legal information websites:
Family Law in British Columbia
http://www.familylaw.lss.bc.ca/
This website provides all kinds of information about family law issues including; custody and access, divorce, common-law relationships, adoption and child protection matters. This website has information on the court process and you can download some of the forms you may have to fill out to go to court. The site also has a number of self-help guides and information on where to go for legal help.