Legal Resources

An overview of hiring a lawyer, free and low-cost legal help, and how to prepare for a meeting with a lawyer.

This guide contains information about the steps required when you’re starting an Action by Notice of Civil Claim, the parties involved in an action, and how to prepare your documents. This applies to the Supreme Court of BC.

This guidebook will help you defend a lawsuit started against you in BC Supreme Court. Defending a lawsuit is complicated and time consuming, and the consequences of doing things late or incorrectly may be serious. Features sample forms, including a response to civil claim and a counterclaim.

This guidebook gives an overview of how to start a proceeding by petition in BC Supreme Court and how to respond if you’ve been served with it. Topics include whether to start your proceeding with a petition or a notice of civil claim, and how to prepare, file, and serve your court documents.

Information about which court to file your claim and the fees involved, the difference between an action and a petition, and how to serve documents.

An introduction to requisitions, which civil rules apply, and how to fill in a requisition using Form 17.

This guidebook contains an overview of fast-track litigation (Rule 15-1), for civil, non-family claims in BC Supreme Court. Fast-track litigation allows you to shorten the entire litigation process if the amount in issue is $100,000 or less or the trial can be completed within three days.

Discovery is the process that you (and the other party) use to determine what happened in your case. This guidebook describes the discovery process for civil, non-family claims in the BC Supreme Court. Topics include discovery of documents, examinations for discovery, and interrogatories.

Describes the procedure for chambers applications for civil, non-family claims in BC Supreme Court. It explains what chambers applications are, how to prepare for one, what documents are needed, and what happens after the chambers hearing. Includes sample forms with explanations.

The case planning conference (CPC) brings the parties together early in the litigation to talk about how the case will proceed. These conferences, held by a judge or associate judge, will ensure that cases keep moving forward in a way that is consistent with the proportionality principle.