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.
This student-staffed free legal clinic provides legal help and advice to eligible people. They represent clients in areas including residential tenancy, employment standards, small claims, human rights claims, and some criminal charges. They draft legal documents such as simple wills, demand letters, powers of attorney, and more.
Provides low-barrier wellness services to trans and gender-diverse people. Volunteer lawyers offer summary advice about legal issues you may have — family law, human rights, employment, immigration, etc. (But they can’t take on your case and act for you as your lawyer.) They can also notarize documents, for example for a name or gender change.
A directory of civil, family, child protection, and med-arb (mediation-arbitration) mediators across BC. Mediators offer service in various languages and set their own fees, as listed in their profiles. They are impartial and won’t make decisions for you. They maintain a safe, confidential, communicative process to help you reach an agreement.
Free estate-planning help for low-income individuals who want to ensure that they have a valid will, and that all documents (including a power of attorney and a representation agreement) are in place to handle their financial and personal matters should they not be able to.
A directory of lawyers (as well as paralegals, and other professionals offering therapeutic support and assistance) offering self-represented litigants (SRLs) affordable assistance, primarily in the form of unbundled legal or limited-scope services (unbundling).
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.
Free legal advice and representation on issues such as criminal summary offences, civil resolution, small claims, residential tenancy, WorkSafeBC, consumer protection, EI, CPP and Old-Age Pension, wills and estates, and immigration and refugee issues. They may draft certain types of legal documents such as demand letters, wills, and more.
For when you need help with family law issues that affect your everyday life. They can help assess what you need, provide information about your legal and related issues, and refer you to the services that are available for your situation. They offer self-help services, needs assessment, dispute resolution and mediation options, and more.
The clinic provides advice, assistance, and representation to eligible clients who can’t afford a lawyer and who self-identify as Indigenous. They help with administrative and civil law matters, criminal matters, Aboriginal law/Indigenous legal issues, family law matters, child protection, human rights complaints, and more.
