Introduction to Legal Help for British Columbians

Purpose of this Guide

This Legal Help Guide is a resource for non-legal professionals in British Columbia who have clients or patients with legal problems and little money to deal with them.

It is meant to help you:

• guide your client or patient in taking the first steps toward addressing their legal problem, and

• make the best referrals for your client or patient to information, assistance, advice or representation to address the legal issue.

Reason for this Guide

Because legal resources are often not available locally in many areas of British Columbia, the usual first "point of contact" to get help with a legal problem is not a lawyer or legally trained advocate, but a friend or helping professional such as a counsellor, doctor, nurse, teacher, government worker, public librarian, or religious leader.

It is hoped that this Guide will help you - the friend or helping professional - provide basic information and appropriate referrals to friends, clients or patients who find themselves with common legal problems.

Organization of this Guide

There are three parts to this Guide:

• The first part describes common legal problems faced by low-income persons in British Columbia, organized by topics such as "Consumer and Debt", "Criminal Law", and "Family Law".
• The second part is a Resource List describing legal resources and how to obtain them. It includes sources of legal information, assistance, advice and representation, such as legal aid representation, workers' advisers, and the website Clicklaw.
• The Guide concludes with a form to help a client prepare for their interview. When completed, it will contain a lot of the information a lawyer or advocate will want to know at a first interview with a client.

This Guide is available online on Clicklaw, at www.clicklaw.bc.ca, and it is featured in the "Solve Problems" section.

Thanks to

A special thanks to Allan Parker, QC, Andree Harley, Linda Locke, QC, and Glen Ferrier for their input and assistance with initial development of this Guide. Also, thank you to the Law Foundation for providing the funding and to Jill Veitch for editing and layout support for the first two editions.

For the third edition of the Guide, thank you to the many reviewers and contributors who collaborated in updating and extending the Guide using wiki technology.

Please note

This Guide explains the law and legal procedures in general. It is not intended to give legal advice on your particular legal problem, and should not be relied on for that purpose. Information in this Guide is accurate as at November 2011. Please note that fees and guidelines outlined in the Guide are subject to change.

Your comments

Your comments on the content and format of this Guide are most appreciated. Please forward them to:

Courthouse Libraries BC

Tel. 1-800-665-2570

Email: editor@clicklaw.bc.ca

Photo credit: Dylan Thorstenson

In contract law, a promise made by someone about a certain state of affairs, like "the plumbing was replaced last year" or "I had a vasectomy two years ago." See "misrepresentation."

Under the Family Law Act, a term that describes the time a person who is not a guardian of a child, including a parent who is not a guardian, has with that child. Under the Divorce Act, a term that describes the time a person who is not a married spouse has with a child. See "guardian" and "parental responsibilities."

A person licensed to practice law in a particular jurisdiction by that jurisdiction's law society. See "barrister and solicitor."

(1) A lawyer or a person other than a lawyer who helps clients with legal issues, or (2) to argue a position on behalf of someone.

The abbreviation of "Queen's Counsel." Under the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, QC was an honour often, but not invariably, granted to lawyers of particular excellence, and could also be granted for other reasons such as service to the legal community, the public or a political party. Since the passing of Her Majesty and the succession of His Majesty King Charles III, the recipients of this honour, past and present, are called King's Counsel, abbreviated as KC.