Please click HERE for contact information for family law advocates.
Scope of Service
Advocates provide free legal information, advocacy, and assistance to low-income people in the community.
Family Law Matters Covered:
- Guardianship and Parenting Time
- Parental Responsibilities
- Assistance with Separation Agreements not drafting agreements but discussing clients’ rights and obligations and the importance of getting independent legal advice
- Child Support
- Spousal Support
- Divorce
- Protection Orders
- Mobility/Relocation
- Child Protection
- Family Maintenance Enforcement Program (FMEP)
- Property, Debts up to 20k, emergency asset restraint
- Other areas of law will be considered when those issues are connected with family law matters and when not covered by legal aid.
- Matrimonial Property On Reserve Information and referral only
Please click HERE for contact information for poverty law advocates.
Scope of Service
Advocates provide free legal information, advocacy, and representation to low-income people in the community.
Poverty Law Matters Covered:
- Income Security, income assistance
- Tenancy Issues: Residential Tenancy Agreement (RTA) and non-RTA issues including mobile homes, Co-ops, shared accommodation, and room rentals
- Persons with Disability (PWD) and CPP-Disability (CPP-D)
- Employment Law: EI, ESB
- Old Age Security
- Debt and Consumer Law
- Workers’ Rights
- Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) assistance on co-op, non-RTA housing, and small claims.
Does not cover strata, ICBC/motor vehicle, and personal injury matters.
- Aboriginal Law issues including Indian status applications, health benefits, band membership applications, housing, and income security
- Other areas of law will be considered when those issues are connected with poverty law matters and when not covered by legal aid.
- Family Law Information and referral only
Please click HERE for contact information for specialized law advocates.
Please click HERE for contact information for all the legal clinics
Poverty Law Clinics
Scope of Service
Lawyers and advocate(s) provide free poverty law services through an integrated network of legal clinics.
Poverty Law Matters Covered:
- Income Assistance
- Tenancy Issues: Residential Tenancy Agreement (RTA) and non-RTA issues including mobile homes, Co-ops, shared accommodation, and room rentals
- Persons with Disability (PWD) and CPP-Disability (CPP-D)
- Employment Law: EI, ESB
- Aboriginal Law issues including Indian status applications, health benefits, band membership applications, housing, and income security
- Other areas of law will be considered when those issues are connected with poverty law matters and when not covered by legal aid.
Immigration Law Clinics
Scope of Service
Lawyers and advocate(s) provide low-income people with free immigration and refugee law services.
Immigration Law Matters Covered:
- Humanitarian & Compassion (H&C) Grounds Permanent Resident Status Applications and judicial reviews of failed H&C applications
- Refusals of Sponsorship Applications
- Loss of Canadian Permanent Residence Status Other than for the sole basis of non-residence in Canada
- Loss of Canadian Citizenship Other than for the sole basis of non-residence in Canada
- Loss of Canadian Temporary Resident Status Other than for the sole basis of failure to depart Canada at the end of their stay
- Removal From Canada for the above reasons
- Meritorious Appeals to the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD) and meritorious judicial reviews of RAD decisions.
- Other complex, serious and systemic issues affecting immigrants and refugees not described above.
Disability Legal Clinics
Disability Law Clinic
Scope of Service
Lawyers and advocate(s) provide low-income people with law-related services such as one-on-one legal support, advice, and representation regarding disability related law through an integrated network of legal clinics.
Disability Law Matters Covered:
- Tax Matters before the Tax Court of Canada and appeals for the Canada Pension Plan Disability benefits before the Social Security Tribunal of Canada
- Test Case strategies including but not limited to the identification, support and running of test cases for disability rights.
- Systemic, Substantive, and Procedural issues that affect people with disabilities with the relevant ministry or decision-maker
- Other complex, serious and systemic issues affecting the disability community (e.g. administrative penalties as a mechanism for enforcing compliance with regulatory legislation.)
The lawyer will also act as a resource for people with disabilities throughout the province on disability benefits and other disability-related programs and services and support DABC staff including the provision of legal opinions on complex cases.
Housing Legal Clinics
Scope of Service
Lawyers and advocate(s) provide low-income people with free legal services through an integrated network of legal clinics.
Housing Law Matters Covered:
- Judicial Review Applications of Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) decisions at BC Supreme Court
- Enforcement of Residential RTB Monetary Orders at Small Claims Court
- Test Case strategies including but not limited to the identification, support and running of test cases for tenancy and housing issues.
- Rental Disputes that fall outside the jurisdiction of the RTB (e.g. co-operative housing)
- Systemic, Substantive, and Procedural issues that affect people with disabilities with the relevant ministry or decision-maker
- Other complex, serious and systemic issues affecting tenancy and housing issues e.g. administrative penalties as a mechanism for enforcing compliance with regulatory legislation.
The lawyer will also act as a resource for people with tenancy and housing issues throughout the province and support TRAC staff including the provision of legal opinions on complex cases.