Legal advice/support
unbundled legal services
Where a lawyer provides legal services for part of a client’s legal matter, allows clients to access more affordable legal services. It has the potential to remove barriers to access to justice for people who cannot afford a lawyer’s retainer, but need some legal help. Unbundling allows clients and lawyers to decide which tasks are performed by the client and which are performed by the lawyer.
Unbundled legal services are especially helpful to self-represented litigants, who often are not self-represented by choice, but are unable to afford to retain legal counsel. It remains very difficult for self-represented litigants to find a lawyer who offers unbundled services.
See the BC Family Unbundling Roster for a list of family lawyers and paralegals willing to provide unbundled legal services
family duty counsel
If you have a family law issue, you may qualify for help from Family Duty Counsel (FDC) or a family advice lawyer, even if you do not qualify for a legal aid lawyer.
Duty counsel can help with:
Parenting time or contact / access
Guardianship / custody
Child support
Property (limited advice)
Tentative settlement agreements
Court procedures
Learn more about getting family law help here
legal aid
Legal Aid BC is a provincial Crown Corporation. LABC was created by the Legal Services Society (LSS) Act in 1979 to provide legal information, advice, and representation services. Their priority is to serve the interests of people experiencing barriers accessing the legal system. Some of their services are available to all British Columbians.
They’re funded by the provincial government, with additional support from the Law Foundation of BC and the Notary Foundation of BC. They’re accountable to the public and remain independent of government.
See the Legal Aid BC website for more details.
legal aid for Indigenous People
All Indigenous Peoples, regardless of whether they qualify for legal aid, can access free legal and outreach services if they are facing a criminal or child protection issue. Get free help at one of the Indigenous Justice Centres in Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Surrey, Kelowna, Prince George, Merritt, Prince Rupert, Chilliwack or through the Virtual Indigenous Justice Centre.
parents legal centres
Parents Legal Centres (PLCs) provide a free lawyer and an advocate to help parents address the social worker’s concerns about their children’s safety (child protection) early on. Together, they can help find solutions that work for the family. This service is available to parents any time after the ministry or a delegated Aboriginal agency contacts them.
There are ten Parents Legal Centres across BC. Learn more here
battered women’s support services - justice center
The Justice Centre at BWSS provides enhanced legal supports and education that play a critical role in helping survivors navigate complex legal systems and bridging a gap in services that is often insurmountable without support. Founded in 1979, Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS) takes action to end violence against women and girls through community-based interventions, support services, legal and systemic advocacy, education and training, violence prevention and research and policy.
For nearly 45 years, BWSS has provided a community-based legal advocacy program in Metro Vancouver providing legal supports for women and femmes who have experienced intimate partner, domestic and sexualized violence helping survivors navigate the Canadian legal system.
Our supervised staff, interns and volunteer lawyers provide legal information, accompaniment to court and legal appointments, we appeal when legal aid has been denied and we aid with documents and affidavits preparation.
See the BWSS website for more details.
rise women’s legal centre
Rise is a community legal centre providing accessible legal services to self-identified women and gender diverse people in British Columbia since 2016.
Our programs and services are aimed at providing limited legal services to economically disadvantaged clients, who are self-representing in their family law matters in BC.
See the Rise Women’s Legal Centre website for more details.