Find organizations that provide legal help in BC. Most services are free or low cost.
Free information and referrals to help you deal with your legal issues. Questions are answered by UBC law students on weekdays from 11 am to 2 pm. Questions outside these hours will receive a response the next business day. Ask JES is supported by a knowledge base of over 1,000 legally reviewed questions and answers.
A province-wide toll-free telephone service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide criminal law advice. You can call to speak to a lawyer if you’re arrested, detained, or under active investigation by the police or another law enforcement agency for a criminal offence, but not yet charged, and in need of emergency legal services.
Provides information and referral services to all victims of crime and immediate crisis support to victims of family and sexual violence, including victims of human trafficking exploited for labour or sexual services. It’s a toll-free, confidential, multilingual service available across BC and the Yukon 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Lawyers who can help you in Provincial Court if you’re charged with a crime, and can’t get a legal aid lawyer, or haven’t yet applied for legal aid. They can give you advice about the charges, court procedures, and your legal rights, and can represent you at a bail hearing. If there’s time, duty counsel can help with a guilty plea.
Provides legal information services to the public via a network of libraries in BC courthouses. You’re encouraged to call or email before visiting as they can provide many services this way and can save you time. The libraries provide access to staff expertise, print and digital legal collections, and public computers.
Connect with an articling clinician for a family, tenancy and strata, employment, wills and estates, civil, corporate, consumer, or criminal law issue. Schedule a free initial phone or video meeting with a clinician (up to 30 minutes). They work under the supervision of practising lawyers and provide legal services on a lower-cost, fixed-fee basis.
Provides free legal representation services for particular case types to individuals with low and modest incomes. It includes a Barristers’ Program (limited and extended litigation services), Court of Appeal Program (civil and family), Family Law Program (limited scope), Refugee Program (for sponsors), and Wills and Estates Program (non-litigious).
This service helps you find a suitable lawyer. Anyone can call to get contact information of a lawyer who will meet for a free 15-minute appointment. You can retain the lawyer at a rate you both agree to, but there’s no obligation for either of you to continue after the free consultation.
Offers free legal advice to low- and modest-income individuals by phone or videoconference. Their volunteer lawyers provide up to a half hour of advice at each appointment, with the possibility of more appointments. Legal issues include family, immigration, criminal, and civil law (such as debt, employment, welfare, and housing matters).
