Legal aid is an invaluable program that facilitates access to legal representation and advice for low-income Canadians. If you qualify under British Columbia`s financial eligibility criteria, legal aid will cover some (or all) of your legal fees. In addition to financial requirements, there are a number of other eligibility criteria for legal aid. Let`s dispel the misconceptions and look at how legal aid eligibility works in British Columbia. You can also access information about your legal problem online, including: If there is no legal aid office in your area or if you are unable to get there, you can seek legal representation by calling our provincial call centre. Legal issues that may be covered by legal aid include: We offer legal aid in British Columbia. The law is complicated, but not everyone can afford a lawyer. We can help you with your legal problem. You do not need to be financially eligible to receive criminal or immigration legal advice. To find out if you qualify for a lawyer, the best thing you can do is call the call centre or go to a legal aid centre and apply.
Ask a lawyer to take your case and represent you in court. More than 25,000 people receive legal assistance each year. To find out if you are eligible for free legal advice or representation, visit Legal Aid BC. Indigenous Services email is for general inquiries only. We cannot give legal advice by email. If you would like to apply for legal aid or ask questions about your application for legal aid, call the Call Centre. If you are interested in working with us, visit the careers page. To apply for a legal aid lawyer or to get legal information or advice, you can: A legal advisor at your local office will assess the value of your assets to determine your financial eligibility for legal aid. While legal aid is used to make legal representation accessible to more people, certain eligibility requirements must be met. Your legal fees will be covered if you meet the eligibility criteria in the following areas: For information on the terms and conditions of your legal aid representation contract, see the model contract.
To find out what you can expect from your contract, see Working with your legal counsel. If legal counsel tells you that you are not qualified to be represented by a lawyer, you may be able to request a review of that decision. See How to apply for a review of a legal aid refusal. You can always be entitled to legal advice and our legal information is accessible to everyone. Family law counselling services have a financial aptitude test To find out if you qualify for legal aid, see Am I eligible? To request legal representation, see How to apply. Visit Clicklaw for information on legal services and resources. Look for Clicklaw`s help card to find free, low-cost legal services in your community. Visit the Indigenous Legal Resources page for Indigenous legal resources. A legal advisor at your legal aid office calculates your net income by adding up your income from all relevant sources and then subtracting the allowable deductions. A Justice of the Peace (JP) is a bailiff appointed to keep the peace. Justices of the peace may perform certain judicial tasks, such as conducting court proceedings, issuing court orders, and many other services.
Justices of the peace do not need formal legal training. Visit Justice of the Peace (Provincial Court of British Columbia) for more information. To request a lawyer to represent you, it`s a good idea to call your local legal aid office or check this website for office hours. Here are some of the things a legal advisor will include in your monthly income: What happens if my financial situation changes after I get legal aid? on comments on a B.C. Legal Aid publication : Email: publications@legalaid.bc.ca Even if you exceed the legal aid income threshold, you may still be eligible for assistance. There are several deductions you need to know that can help you qualify. If your criteria are assessed, eligible deductions include: If you meet the requirements for the nature of the legal issue, the application will then proceed to the financial eligibility assessment. Monthly income, as well as your household assets, are the main factor in this decision. You will need to prove that your household income is below certain thresholds before you qualify. Only a Legal Aid Legal Admissions Assistant can determine if you are financially eligible.
Here are some of the aspects of your monthly income that Legal Aid will assess: You can ask a legal aid lawyer to help you with: Under the legal aid rules, only certain types of legal problems can be covered. These include: Legal Aid BC has increased the amount a person can earn to get legal aid. on legal aid from a lawyer: Email: complaints@legalaid.bc.ca Whether or not you qualify for a legal aid lawyer, try our legal advice and information services. See How to apply for a review of a legal aid refusal Visit the Youth Welfare website for legal services and resources for minors. 604-408-2172 (Greater Vancouver)1-866-577-2525 (elsewhere in British Columbia) Please have all your financial and legal information handy when you call (see below). You must provide proof of the financial information you submitted by fax or return it later to the nearest office. Your net monthly income must be less than the amount corresponding to the size of your household in the table below. The guidelines apply to standard cases, with expanded guidelines for child protection and early detection cases. Before contacting us, please read the following information.
A defense attorney is a lawyer who represents a person accused of committing a crime. If you need help navigating any aspect of legal aid, contact us today. Our lawyers are ready to answer your questions and concerns about this and other family law issues. Are you Aboriginal? Visit our Aboriginal Legal Aid in BC website. Get advice from a lawyer about your situation. Our counsel counsel help tens of thousands of clients each year. If you can`t make it to an office, call the BC Legal Aid Call Centre: Mon, Tue, Thu and Fri — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wed — 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. If you don`t have all the documents we need, we`ll tell you what to do next.
Your net income includes your income from all relevant sources, less allowable deductions. To be eligible for family counselling, your monthly net household income must be less than the amount for your household size shown in the table below. You must provide proof of your income. Proof of income may include one or more of the following: Your monthly income includes your net income and the net income of your household members. ** Income is your net income from all sources (except a common-law partner of two years or less) and support payments. If you own land, you must provide us with a British Columbia valuation document and an up-to-date mortgage statement. If you have a family law problem and your income is above the limits listed in the table above, you may still receive: Crown counsel is a prosecutor who presents evidence against the accused. Crown attorneys are public servants. They do not represent the police or the victim, but the community as a whole. Before calling, visit our BC Legal Aid Call Centre page for more information and phone numbers.
*Family members include children and parents or other adults who are responsible for and live with the children. Write or call: Supervisor, Administration Legal Aid BC 400 – 510 Burrard Street Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3A8 We have a number of free services that can help you. We put low-income people first, but there are many services available to all British Columbians. We offer:. Learn about the law in general. Our publications help hundreds of thousands of people every year. In order to receive your request, a staff member will ask you for complete and truthful information about: Call the Communications Manager at 604-601-6000. To find a lawyer or talk to someone to determine if you need a lawyer, contact the Lawyer Referral Service.