Access to Justice Centres in Vancouver, Victoria, Surrey, Nanaimo and Abbotsford offer help with family and everyday problems such as work, housing or debt problems. Access to justice centres offer free mediation services and limited legal advice. Many of these services are accessible to all. Some services (such as family counselling lawyers) are available to low-income individuals. For more information, call Service BC toll-free at 1-800-663-7867 or visit the Government of British Columbia website. Ask a lawyer to handle your case and represent you in court. More than 25,000 people receive a legal aid lawyer each year. The Native Courtworker and Counselling Association of BC provides culturally appropriate services to Indigenous peoples in communities across British Columbia. Court officials help Indigenous peoples accused of a crime understand their rights and options and navigate the justice system. For more information, visit nccabc.ca or call toll-free 1-877-811-1190. Unbundling works well for many people and many types of legal issues – but not for everyone. For more information about unbundled legal services and whether they might fit your situation, see unbundlinglaw.ca.
We provide legal aid in British Columbia. The law is complicated, but not everyone can afford a lawyer. We can help you with your legal problem. Ms. Kresivo is currently a Commissioner of the B.C. Utilities Commission. She was General Counsel of Chevron Canada Limited, Product Division, for many years. In this role, she led a legal department dealing with complex legal issues and played a role on the executive committee focused on commercial issues. The Community Legal Aid Society (CLAC) provides legal advice and support to people who are disadvantaged or whose human rights need to be protected. Visit clasbc.net or call 604-685-3425 in Vancouver or toll-free 1-888-685-6222.
Clicklaw is a website operated by Courthouse Libraries BC to provide access to legal information to lay people. It covers dozens of topics and includes information on problem solving. Visit clicklaw.bc.ca. Miriam Kresivo, Q.C., is a retired lawyer who has played a leading role in the energy sector and advocacy. Please do not confuse our lawyer referral service with legal assistance. In British Columbia, legal aid is provided exclusively by Legal Aid BC to very low-income British Columbians who are eligible for their services. Courthouse Libraries BC also offers Clicklaw Wikibooks, plain language legal publications that originated from wikis and can also be printed. See wiki.clicklaw.bc.ca. In addition to her role in the legal community, Ms. Kresivo volunteered in the community. She was a board member of the B.C.
Pavilion Corporation (the operator of the Convention Centre and BC Place) and a board member of the Vancouver Writers` Festival for approximately 12 years. Alex joined BCLI in May 2022 as a summer law student, working primarily on the Reconciling Crown Legal Frameworks program. He recently completed his second year in the combined JD/JID program in Canadian Common Law and Indigenous Legal Systems at the University of Victoria. Prior to law school, he received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy from the University of British Columbia. The British Columbia Law Institute cannot provide legal advice or make recommendations. However, there are a number of resources available for British Columbians seeking legal advice or information. Mona Muker is an adjudicator with the Employment Standards Tribunal of British Columbia and the Review Division of WorkSafeBC. It hears appeals of decisions of the British Columbia Employment Standards Branch and the Workers` Compensation Board of British Columbia. Previously, Mona was a staff lawyer and court program manager at the Access Pro Bono Society of BC. Mona is an active contributor to the legal community. She sits with the Canadian Bar Association, British Columbia Branch, as Chair of the Law Reform and Legislation Committee and as a member of the Provincial Council.
There is a wealth of free legal information available online. Here are some of the best resources for British Columbians. Timothy Outerbridge has been a Registrar of the British Columbia Court of Appeal since 2014. In this capacity, he performs judicial and quasi-judicial functions, including conducting hearings, assessments and other matters determined by law or the rules of justice or referred by a judge of the Court of Appeal. He heads the Office of the Registrar, directs the Registry and its staff legally, technically and procedurally, and also assists the Court in matters related to the management of its workload, including the supervision of its case management system and the development of new technologies. Justice Education Society improves people`s legal skills through educational programs and resources to build legal knowledge, skills and confidence. Visit justiceeducation.ca. Our lawyer referral service helps British Columbians find a suitable lawyer to resolve their legal problem. Any resident of British Columbia can call us at 604-687-3221 or 1-800-663-1919 or (for family, residential rental, labour, personal injury, will, probate or trust matters) use our online booking platform to contact an experienced lawyer who offers up to half an hour of free legal advice. Legal Aid BC, the provincial legal aid provider, provides free legal information on family law, criminal law, immigration and Indigenous legal issues. Their main website legalaid.bc.ca contains many publications in languages other than English. Their Family Law in BC website in family.legalaid.bc.ca provides self-help information to people in family conflict.
Information for Aboriginal people can be found on the Aboriginal Legal Aid in British Columbia website in aboriginal.legalaid.bc.ca. Get advice from a lawyer about your situation. Our counsel counsel help tens of thousands of clients each year. With ILRU, Simon has worked with community projects to revitalize legal assets in various legal fields and legal traditions, including Secwépemc (territorial governance and citizenship); Syilx, Nlaka`pamux, Tsilhqot`in and Cowichan (water governance), speaking Sm`algyax/Tsimshian (international cooperation and conflict resolution), Anishinaabeg (family-centred governance and harm response), Coast Salish (child safety and caregivers), Tr`ondëk Hwëch`in (land-based human rights) and Dene, Dane-zaa, Cree and Saulteaux (land and contractual relations). He has also contributed to public legal education and law school through teaching, workshops and writing. Krista graduated from the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law in 1997 and was called to the bar in 1998. Prior to joining CCEL, she practiced labour law with a focus on human rights and disability issues. Over the years, Krista has worked with women`s centres and various non-profit community organizations that serve low-income people in British Columbia. She has worked as a lawyer and victim support. If you have a low income and have a family law problem, you may be eligible for free telephone legal advice from a family law lawyer. Family LawLINE lawyers provide brief “Next Step” advice on family law matters. Call Legal Aid BC at 604-408-2172 in the Vancouver area or toll free at 1-866-577-2525 elsewhere in British Columbia.
At student law clinics in the Lower Mainland and Victoria, law students can help those who would otherwise not be able to afford legal aid. Students help resolve legal issues such as rent or work issues, access to state benefits, (less serious) criminal charges, and minor matters. In the Lower Mainland, call 604-822-5791 or visit lslap.bc.ca. In the Victoria area, call 250-385-1221 or visit uvic.ca/law/about/centre. If you are arrested or detained and in custody, you can call the Brydges Line to speak to a lawyer. This is a 24-hour toll-free emergency number for legal advice. Call toll-free 1-866-458-5500. MOSAIC provides legal advice and representation to low-income immigrants and refugees.
They help newcomers navigate the Canadian legal system. Call 604-254-9626 in Vancouver or visit mosaicbc.org. Working closely with sellers, buyers and developers, Ed is a trusted advisor on real estate and development projects involving a variety of commercial, residential, industrial, resort and financing matters. Ed also advises on environmental issues related to real estate. Publicly funded legal aid services are provided through the Legal Services Society of British Columbia in certain circumstances. They can be reached at www.legalaid.bc.ca. Other free or low-cost services, including online legal information, are available at: If you are not qualified to be represented by a legal aid lawyer, you may still be eligible for other legal aid services. These include court-appointed lawyers and lawyers who provide advice by telephone. You can get up to half an hour of free advice from an experienced lawyer by following these steps: Emily is a partner at Clark Wilson LLP. Emily has focused her legal career on all aspects of estates, trusts and disability issues. She represents clients in litigation.
She assists clients in the preparation of estate, trust and disability planning documents. She works with clients in the management of estate successions. Emily is known to be a dedicated and passionate advocate, especially when it comes to complex issues in terms of mental performance. The Tenant Resource and Advice Centre (TRAC) offers a telephone information line to help tenants resolve legal issues. They also provide free representation to tenants at dispute resolution hearings in limited situations. Call 604-255-0546 in Vancouver or toll-free 1-800-665-1185 or visit tenants.bc.ca.
