Information for Lawyers
Thank you for showing an interest in providing pro bono assistance. As a lawyer, you hold a unique place within the justice system that permits you to respond to the urgent need for pro bono legal services in your community. Fortunately, British Columbia is considerably more organized than most Canadian jurisdictions in the variety and scope of pro bono opportunities that it provides to its lawyers.
Whether you seek to provide pro bono assistance to individuals or to organizations, there are several options from which to choose—ranging from volunteer opportunities that can be served directly from your office, to opportunities to staff clinics on the front lines of pro bono service provision. Each model presents specific advantages, and no single model is definitive or all-encompassing. We therefore encourage you to register and consider all of the following opportunities:
The Roster Programs
The Pro Bono Law of BC Roster Programs provide pro bono assistance and representation to individuals and non-profit organizations of limited means in specific areas of the law. Presently, the Roster Programs include:
1. the Family Law Program
Services: Representation, assistance and mediation to individuals with family law issues involving divorce, separation, custody, access, guardianship, child support, etc.
2. the Federal Court of Appeal Program
Services: Representation and assistance to individuals appearing before the Federal Court of Appeal.
3. the Judicial Review Program
Services: Representation and assistance to individuals bringing judicial review of tribunal decisions to BC Supreme Court.
4. the Court of Appeal Program
Services: Representation and assistance to individuals appearing before the British Columbia Court of Appeal.
5. the Solicitors' Program
Services: Advice and assistance to community organizations on discrete tasks such as developing board governance, drafting bylaws and policies, and employment and human rights matters.
For each of the above programs, we receive screened client referrals from front-line service providers such as the Legal Services Society, the Salvation Army BC Pro Bono Program, the UBC Law Students’ Legal Advice Program, the University of Victoria Law Centre and the Western Canada Society to Access Justice. We then present referred opportunities to each roster lawyer according to his or her location, stated interest and capacity. Roster lawyers choose how and when they are able to provide pro bono assistance—from basic help on single, discrete issues to full-service representation.
For more information on the Roster Programs, click here. To register as a volunteer lawyer, click here.
Legal Advice Clinics
In legal advice clinics, volunteer lawyers meet with low-income individuals to provide summary legal advice on such issues as criminal, family, immigration, small claims, bankruptcy and residential tenancy law. Volunteer lawyers typically commit two to four hours per month and need not assume responsibility for the underlying administrative arrangements.
Several clinic programs offer volunteer opportunities for lawyers, including:
The Salvation Army BC Pro Bono Program
The Western Canada Society to Access Justice
The Law Students’ Legal Advice Program (supervision of law student clinicians)
Legal Advocacy Programs
Some community organizations offer legal advice and advocacy programs to the individuals whom they serve, such as women who need family law advice and persons with disabilities who need help with human rights issues.
Some such organizations include:
Battered Women’s Support Services
BC Coalition of People with Disabilities
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, BC Division – Volunteer Legal Advocacy Program
We encourage you to consult the Free Legal Advice and Assistance and Specialized Legal Advice and Advocacy sections of this website for further pro bono opportunities.