Information for the Public
Thank you for accessing our website. In your search for free legal advice and assistance, we encourage you to first determine whether you qualify for legal aid. In British Columbia, legal aid services range from legal information and legal advice to legal representation (a lawyer to handle your case). If your legal problem involves criminal charges, mental health or prison issues, serious family problems or serious immigration problems, you may qualify for legal representation through legal aid. Please consult the Legal Services Society website to see if you qualify under the LSS rules and financial eligibility guidelines.For more information on legal aid and other LSS programs, please consult the Legal Aid section of our website.
If you do not qualify for legal aid, you may still qualify for free legal advice and assistance from a legal advice program. There are several programs that may be able to assist you, including:
• the Law Students’ Legal Advice Program
• the Salvation Army BC Pro Bono Program
• the University of Victoria Law Centre
• the Western Canada Society to Access Justice
If your legal problem fits into the categories of our Roster Programs (i.e. Court of Appeal, Family Law, Federal Court of Appeal and Judicial Review), you may also request a referral from a lawyer or student through one of the above legal advice programs. Please consult the Free Legal Advice and Assistance section of our website for more information.
If you do not meet the eligibility requirements of the legal advice programs, you may still qualify for free assistance from an advocacy program or a specialized legal advice program. Please consult the Specialized Legal Advice and Advocacy section of our website for more information.
Finally, you may research your legal problem yourself. You may also choose to represent yourself in court or in a hearing. In order to help you access the necessary materials, forms and knowledge required to meet your case, we provide a number of resources in the Self-Help section of this website.
We wish you the best of luck.