legal advice, information and advocacy
Legal Advice
Legal advice means that a lawyer gives you a formal opinion based on the information that you have provided them about your case. If you have retained (hired) a lawyer, then it is your lawyer's job to provide you with legal advice. If you do not qualify for legal aid and cannot afford or do not want to hire a lawyer, there are other places you can go to get limited legal advice.
Access ProBono
Access ProBono has over 75 summary legal advice clinics throughout the province. Unless you have a matter that is going before the Court of Appeal, a person must go to the summary legal advice clinic to be referred to the Pro Bono services. The Pro Bono program provides full representation to a person. Only if you have a Court of Appeal case can a person apply directly to the Pro Bono Program without attending a summary legal advice clinic.
For more information about Access ProBono and the programs that it offers, as well as to find a summary legal advice clinic in your area, go to: http://www.accessprobono.ca/
You can also reach Access ProBono by phone at the following numbers:
604-878-7400 (Vancouver)
1-877-762-6664 (outside of Vancouver)
The Law Students' Legal Advice Program (LSLAP)
The Law Students' Legal Advice Program (LSLAP) offers free legal advice to people in the Lower Mainland who cannot afford a lawyer. LSLAP clinics are run by law students from the University of British Columbia who are supervised by practicing lawyers.
LSLAP students can help with various legal issues including:
o Criminal
o Family Law
o Small Claims
o Employment Standards
o Residential Tenancy
o WCB
o Employment Insurance
o Social Assistance
o Wills and Estates
Students may also be able to help you prepare certain legal documents and represent you in:
o Small Claims Court
o Criminal Court
o Welfare Appeals and
o Residential Tenancy Branch Arbitrations,
CONTACT
Appointment Booking & Program Enquiries: (604)-822-5791
Website: http://www.lslap.bc.ca/main/?LegalClinics
The Salvation Army Pro Bono Lawyer Consultant Program
The Salvation Army hosts legal clinics that provide free legal advice to people who meet the program's guidelines. Legal advice includes helping people to prepare court documents, fill out wills, notarize documents, and prepare to appear in front of a judge.
CONTACT:
The Salvation Army - Belkin House
Pro Bono & Justice Services
Tel: (604) 694-6647
West Coast Domestic Workers Association (WCDWA)
WCDWA provides information, referral, summary advice and full representation, without any fee to clients who have taken part in the Live-In Caregiver program, primarily in the areas of immigration and employment law. WCDWA also provides public legal education on topics including immigration in the live-in caregiver program, sponsoring family members, separation and divorce, employment standards, employment insurance, and income tax.
CONTACT
Tel: (604)669-4482
Website: www.wcdwa.ca
Legal Information
Legal information means information about what the law says and about the court process.
Legal information is general; it is not specific to your case.
BC Supreme Court Self-Help Information Centre
The BC Supreme Court Self-Help Information Centre in Vancouver can help you find the information you need to prepare a Supreme Court family or civil case.
You may visit the centre to do the following:
o Learn about the court system and court procedures
o Get legal information
o Locate and fill out any relevant court forms.
o Find out about free legal advice
o Find alternatives to going to court
The self-help information centre is drop-in only.
CONTACT:
BC Supreme Court Self-Help Information Centre
274-800 Hornby Street
Vancouver, BC
Website: http://www.supremecourtselfhelp.bc.ca
Click Law
Click law is British Columbia-based an online legal information and education site. The site includes information about family law, immigration law, personal injury law, employment law, consumer law and much more. It also includes information about the court system, mediation and tribunals, as well as information for victims of crime. The site features educational videos and podcasts. Click law also provides online access to court forms and information about legal resources across BC.
Dial-a-Law
Dial-A-Law offers pre-recorded messages with general information on a variety of topics on law in British Columbia, but not legal advice. Dial-A-Law is free and is available in English, Chinese and Punjabi by telephone and on the Internet.
Inside the Lower Mainland: 604-687-4680
outside the Lower Mainland 1-800-565-5297
Website: www.dialalaw.org
Family Justice Counsellors
Family justice counsellors can give you information about the law and about the Provincial (Family) Court process. Family justice counsellors are government employees who work at Family Justice Centres, which are located across the province (sometimes in the local courthouse). These centres offer a range of services, including:
o Information and referral,
o Help filling out Family Court forms,
o Mediation and conciliation services, and
o Help planning a separation agreement.
Family justice counsellors are not lawyers and cannot represent you in court. They cannot help you with getting a divorce or other Supreme Court matters. They work with both spouses and/or parents to try to resolve the matter at hand. To contact a family justice counsellor, call Enquiry BC at:
CONTACT:
Tel: 604-660-2421 (from Vancouver)
Tel: 250-387-6121 (from Victoria)
Tel: 1-800-663-7867 (from outside Vancouver and Victoria)
JP Boyd Family Law
This website offers an overview of family law, divorce law and the court process in British Columbia. It's written by a lawyer in easy to understand language and covers pretty much everything there is to know about family law and divorce law in this province.
http://www.bcfamilylawresource.com/
MultiLingoLegal.ca
This website provides information about the law and community resources in BC in Spanish, French, Vietnamese, Chinese, Punjabi, Persian, Korean, and Arabic.
To find legal information or information about support services organized by language go to:
http://www.multilingolegal.ca/
Native Court Workers (NCW)
The Native Courtworker Program assists Aboriginal people with the police or courts by providing legal options, translation and interpretation, and referrals to other agencies such as (legal aid, alcohol and drug treatment, debt counselling, family counselling and Aboriginal Restorative Justice programs). NCW also assist individuals to prepare for court, accompany individuals to court, and speak on their behalf, if appropriate. Court proceedings include criminal and youth courts.
CONTACT:
Vancouver
Tel: 604-687-0281
Administration
Tel: 604-985-5355
Website: http://www.nccabc.ca/
Legal Advocacy
A legal advocate is someone who is not a lawyer but will support you during the legal process. Advocates can generally help you connect with lawyer, help you understand the legal process, and support you during meetings or court. Different advocates offer different services.
There are resources that can help you locate an advocate in your area:
Inform Vancouver
Inform Vancouver is a phone line that provides community information to people in the Lower Mainland.
To look for an advocate in the Vancouver area contact Inform Vancouver at:
Phone: 604.875.6381
For deaf and hard of hearing callers: 604.875.0885 or by text at 604.836.6381
Collect calls are accepted.
PovNet
PovNet provides an online service to help connect people with a community-based advocate in their community by clicking on a map of BC. Advocates listed on the PovNet maps are referred by members of their own communities.
To locate an advocate in your area go to: http://www.povnet.or/find-an-advocate/bc
The Jane Doe Legal Network
The Jane Doe Legal Network does not provide ongoing advocacy services, but we can help connect you with an advocate in the Lower Mainland.
Contact us at: (604) 255-9700 ext. 102