Legal Help

There are several options for free and low-cost legal services in Vancouver. 

Rise Women's Legal Centre

Community Legal Clinic:
  • Provides low-income, self-identified women and gender non-conforming individuals with free unbundled legal services.
  • Areas of legal service includes: family law, limited non-urgent immigration applications, assistance with human rights and police complaints, replacement of ID and correction of name or gender markers for identity documents.
  • Clients must not be currently receiving legal aid or hiring a lawyer and must be dealing with legal issues that fall under the purview of BC courts.
Services provided:
  • Discrete tasks such as writing letters, drafting pleadings, attending mediations or family case conferences or judicial case conferences, preparing a self-represented client for Provincial Court.
  • In a very small number of cases, representation at select court appearances in Provincial Court.
Access to services:
  • Clients outside of Metro Vancouver can access the Virtual Legal Clinic through the same intake process.
  • Appointments are required and the intake process starts with an online request form.
  • Determination of what services can be provided will be made at the first meeting, based on the Clinic's capacity, case complexity, and timeframe required.


Physical address:
​516 Richards Street
Telephone:
236-317-9000
email:
info@womenslegalcentre.ca

Community Legal Assistance Society - Community Law Program

In British Columbia, legal aid is provided to low-income individuals.
  • Legal issues related to workers' rights, housing security, income security, and human, mental health, and civil rights are the focus.
  • A variety of legal services are provided:
    • Complete representation
    • Assistance for self-representation
    • Summary legal advice to provide options and guide in the correct direction.
email :
contact@clasbc.net
Phone Number :
604-685-3425
LOCATION
Independent Order Of Odd Fellows Hall, 505 Hamilton St

​First - Legal Advocacy

First United has been providing legal advocacy services to low-income and vulnerable people in the Downtown Eastside since the 1970s.
  • They offer a wide range of legal services such as legal aid, counsel, and representation to help people find solutions to their problems.
  • They mainly focus on tenancy and social assistance matters and assist customers with over 2,800 different cases annually.
Email:
advocacy@firstunited.ca
Phone Number :
604.251.3323
LOCATION
542 East Hastings Street

​CWHWC - Legal Advice (Catherine White Holman Wellness Centre)

  • Free summaries of legal advice are available on various subjects from our attorneys.
  • Adrienne Smith and Fadi Yachoua are on the team, they can offer brief legal advice on family law, employment, human rights, and other legal concerns.
  • They also provide services such as notarization and amendments to legal identity documents.
  • Fadi specializes in immigration matters.
  • They cannot take on the case and represent clients, but can offer help and direction.
  • To schedule an appointment and for best service, clients are requested to bring relevant documents and make an appointment with the attorneys.
Email :
lawyer@cwhwc.com
Phone Number :
604-442-4352
LOCATION
1145 Commercial Dr

​JES - Justice System Education Program for Indigenous People

The Justice System Education Program for Indigenous Peoples (JSEP-IP) provides culturally-sensitive legal education for Indigenous communities in British Columbia.
Outreach Seminars
  • Legal education sessions for young people to discuss issues of justice in their local area
  • Aimed at Native youth enrolled in Band Schools or in public schools with at least 50% Native students
  • Friendly, informal, and upbeat
At-Risk Adolescents "Courtlink" Program
  • A comprehensive understanding of the criminal justice system
  • Explains the roles and duties of various organizations and the supports that are available
  • Helps Indigenous youth who are at risk of legal problems, dropping out of school, or drug abuse.
Email :
info@justiceeducation.ca
Phone Number :
604-660-9870
LOCATION
800 Hornby St

​Sheway - Advocacy

Legal Services for Sheway Clients:
  • Free legal counsel for parents dealing with family and child protection concerns
  • Assistance with legal aid applications for criminal, family, and child protection cases on Mondays
Note:
  • For non-Sheway clients, Legal Services Society website can be visited for locating a legal aid office close to them.
Outreach Services for Sheway Clients:
  • Accompanying customers to appointments for medical and legal services
  • Offering guidance on topics including financial and legal aid.

Drop-in hours
Monday to Friday from 11:30am - 3:30pm
Email :
sheway.sheway@vch.ca
Phone Number :
604-216-1699
533 E Hastings St

Legal Aid

We provide legal aid in BC.
  • Legal aid offers a range of free legal services to low income individuals and families.
  • Legal aid is provided by Legal Aid BC
  • Legal aid is funded by the provincial government and organizations such as the Law Foundation of BC and Notary Foundation of BC.​

Apply by phone in your community.
1-866-577-2525 / 604-408-2172 (Greater Vancouver)

​BWSS(Battered Women's Support Services) - Legal Advocacy Resources & Services
  • The BWSS Legal Services and Advocacy Program offers a range of services such as legal advice, court and legal appointment accompaniment, and assistance with document and affidavit preparation.
  • The program covers areas such as the Indian Act, family law, immigration, refugee law and criminal law.
  • The program was designed to help women exiting abusive situations, as navigating the legal system can be more challenging for women coping with power and control concerns from a violent partner.
  • The program is aware that some women may give up and choose to stay with their abuser instead of leaving because it can be simpler.

Email :
information@bwss.org
Phone Number :
+1-855-687-1868
LOCATION
1424 Commercial Dr

​MOSAIC - Legal Advocacy Program

The Legal Advocacy Program at MOSAIC provides:
  • Legal advice, referrals, and representation for low-income immigrants and refugees
  • Help navigating the Canadian legal system and understanding legal rights and obligations
  • Priority aid for individuals with low income, limited English proficiency, lack of legal knowledge in Canada and unaddressed problems by other legal services
Services are offered free of charge to those who qualify.
Eligibility Criteria:
  • Financial assessment to establish client eligibility

By Appointment: Monday-Friday 9 am-4 pm
Email :
legaladvocacy@mosaicbc.org
Phone Number :
604-254-9626
Eligibility :
LOCATION
5575 Boundary Rd, Vancouver

​Indigenous Community Legal Clinic

The Indigenous Community Legal Clinic:
  • serves the Indigenous community without charge
  • imparts legal knowledge to Allard School of Law students
  • is situated on the Downtown Eastside on traditional, ancestral, and unceded Coast Salish areas.

Hours of operation :
Mon-Fri 8:30-4:30pm
Email :
iclc@allard.ubc.ca
Phone Number :
604-822-1311
LOCATION
148 Alexander St

​MWC(Migrant Workers Centre)

​MWC provides free (pro bono) legal advocacy services to migrant workers.

info@mwcbc.ca
Phone Number :
+1-604-669-4482
LOCATION
Suite #302 119 W Pender St

Access Pro Bono

We're a small charitable organization of dedicated directors and staff who rely on the goodwill of thousands of volunteers to provide access to justice in every BC community.
 
We operate a free lawyer referral service and several pro bono programs serving the critical legal needs of people and non-profit organizations across BC.
 
You are eligible for Access Pro Bono services if:
 
You live in British Columbia.
You have a legal problem.
You meet our financial eligibility criteria.
You're not eligible for government-funded legal aid.

Tel: 1-877-762-6664
 
A couple of highlights from the Access Pro Bono website:
 
New - Everyone Legal Clinic
The Everyone Legal Clinic is a BC-wide and first-of-its-kind public interest law incubator launching in May 2022. The Clinic will engage and foster a diverse first group of 25 articling students and 5 new notaries in offering a full range of free and affordable legal services to everyone in BC—wherever they're located.
Mental Health Program
Our Mental Health Program offers up to 30 minutes of free legal advice over the telephone to individuals (and their relatives) who seek release from detainment under BC's Mental Health Act

Law Students' Legal Advice Program

Law Students' Legal Advice Program

New Phone Operations
  • Phone operations for booking appointments will begin on May 2nd 2022.
  • Call 604-822-5791 to speak with an operator. Note: LSLAP cannot give legal advice over the phone.
  • Office hours are Monday to Friday from 10AM-4PM.
About LSLAP
  • LSLAP is a non-profit run by law students at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia.
  • Provide free legal advice and representation to clients in the Lower Mainland who would otherwise be unable to afford legal assistance.
  • Assist low-income earners in the Greater Vancouver Area with various legal issues.
  • See lists of "Those We Can Help" and "Those We Cannot Help" for more information.
Important Considerations
  • Due to high number of clients and limited resources, LSLAP cannot assist clients who qualify for or are currently receiving legal aid, or otherwise have retained legal representation.
  • All information provided by LSLAP needs to be confirmed by supervising lawyers before it can be released.
  • Expect a 2-3 week turnaround time from interview to notification of case acceptance.
  • If you require urgent services, it is recommended to seek assistance elsewhere first (i.e. The Lawyer Referral Service).