Where to Get Help with Preparing Your Will
This page from JP Boyd on Family Law—and other pages from this Wikibook that discuss BC family law litigation topics—are under editorial review to provide more thorough, current, and practical guidance. Since 2020, procedures, forms, and laws have changed significantly. While gross inaccuracies have been corrected, some details may still be outdated. These pages were not included in the 2024 print edition, and have been highlighted in orange where they appear in the navigation menu on this website. |
Community Groups | In many communities there are people who have detailed information about legal issues that affect older people. Ask your local seniors’ centre, community information centre, public library, or Royal Canadian Legion. | |
Dial-a-Law | Dial-a-Law is a library of pre-recorded tapes with information about the law in BC. For example, they have a tape on making a will. | Lower Mainland – 604.687.4680
Outside Lower Mainland – 1.800.565.5297 www.dialalaw.org. |
Law Students Legal Advice Clinics | These legal advice clinics will provide information and assistance about preparing a will. In the Lower Mainland, law students at the University of British Columbia hold free legal clinics in different locations. In Victoria, the Law Centre provides free legal clinics to people who are financially eligible. |
University of British Columbia Faculty of Law 1822 East Mall, Vancouver, BC Law Centre
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Lawyer Referral Service | The BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association operates the Lawyer Referral Service, funded by the Law Foundation of BC. The Service enables members of the public to consult with a lawyer for up to 30 minutes for a fee of $25, plus taxes. The lawyer will not be able to prepare a will for you in this time, but can answer questions you may have. | Lower Mainland – 604.687.3221 Outside Lower Mainland – 1.800.663.1919. |
A Notary Public Near You | You can go to a Notary for help with making a will and executing affidavits. To get the name and telephone number of a Notary Public near you, phone the Society of Notaries Public of BC. Ask the Notary Public how much it will cost for a first meeting. | Lower Mainland – 604.681.4516 Outside Lower Mainland – 1.800.663.0343 |
Public Guardian and Trustee Office | The Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee looks after the estates of people who die without a will and who have no heirs in BC who are willing and able to apply to court to be appointed to settle the estate. | 700 - 808 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC V6C 3L3 Phone: 604 660-4444 |
Self Counsel Press | Self Counsel Press publishes do-it-yourself guides on legal topics for BC. | www.self-counsel.com |
This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by People's Law School, 2014. |
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Writing Your Will © People's Law School is, except for the images, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence. |