Additional Legal Resources

Access Pro Bono
Provides pro bono legal assistance to people who can’t obtain legal aid or afford a lawyer through clinics throughout the western provinces.

AdminLawBC.ca A Guide to Administrative Law in B.C.
The Website includes videos explaining administrative law and its range of agencies as well as links to local, provincial, federal and specialized tribunals. Also included is a list of experts available to speak on various areas of administrative law.

Association des juristes d'expression française de la Colombie-Britannique (AJEFBC)
As a non-profit association, AJEFCB’s goals include contributing to the professional development of French-speaking jurists in B.C., the promotion of access to justice in French in B.C., facilitating and improving the exercise of French-language legal rights in B.C. and assuring that existing French-language rights respecting access to justice are maintained.
 
Battered Women Support Services, Legal Advocacy Program
Provides support, advocacy, information and accompaniment to women who have experienced violence and are involved in the legal system. Advocacy with other systems, including social assistance and child protection, is also supplied. 
 
BC 211
Online guide to community, social and government services across the Lower Mainland.
 
BC Centre for Elder Advocacy Support
The project’s goal is to provide legal information, referral and legal advocacy to seniors, community agencies and organizations, government departments, community response networks, victim services and others throughout the province through its Information and Referral line.
 
BC Civil Liberties Association
The oldest and most active civil liberties group in Canada formed by citizens who volunteer to fulfill the mandate to preserve, defend, maintain and extend civil liberties and human rights in B.C. and across the country. Programs include education, complaint assistance, legal reform and occasional litigation. Multilingual publications are produced.
 
BC Coalition of People with Disabilities Advocacy Access Program
A centre of excellence for provincial disability benefits and CPP disability benefits advocacy. The coalition welcomes people with all disabilities. Mental health consumers and people with physical, cognitive and sensory disabilities are invited to make use of its expert service.
 
BC Courthouse Library Society
Provides access to legal information resources and information services to members of the legal community and the public.
 
BC Francophone Affairs Program
Francophone portal of the government of British Columbia Website. Includes links to all government services and publications that are available in French.
 
BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
A non-partisan, non-profit organization established in 1991 to promote and defend freedom of information and privacy rights in Canada. Its goal is to empower citizens by increasing their access to information and their control over their own personal information through programs of public education, public assistance, research and law reform.
 
BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre
Its creation in 1981 reflected the fundamental belief that the rich and powerful should not be the only group represented before our courts and regulators. For those bodies to function as they should, they must hear from everyone who is affected by their decisions. This non-profit law office provides representation to groups that would not otherwise have the resources effectively to assert their interests.
 
BC Supreme Court Self-Help Information Centre
Located in the Provincial Court building in downtown Vancouver, the Centre contains extensive resources to help people who have a Supreme Court family or civil matter but do not have a lawyer to represent them. It offers a drop-in service where people can find the information they need to prepare their case for court or to find alternatives to court.
 
Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
Promotes the human rights of people living with and vulnerable to HIV/AIDS in Canada and internationally through research, legal and policy analysis, education and community mobilization.
 
Canadian Legal Dictionaries
JURIST Canada's browsable dictionary of basic Canadian legal terms.
 
Capacity Canada: The BC Internationally Trained Professional Network
A partnership of three major non-profit immigrant-serving organizations building the voice of immigrant professionals.
 
CanLII
A non-profit organization managed by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, CanLII's goal is to make Canadian law accessible for free on the Internet.
 
Clicklaw
A Website aimed at enhancing access to justice in British Columbia. It features legal information and education from 24 contributor organizations. Clicklaw's mission is to provide equitable access to quality legal information, education and help for British Columbians.
 
Consumer Protection BC
Consumer Protection BC is a not-for-profit corporation that protects consumers and encourages a fair marketplace in British Columbia.
 
Community Legal Assistance Society
Provides multifaceted legal services throughout the province in the areas of poverty, disability, mental health, human rights and equality law. Its services include: service case work, Charter and test case litigation, law reform, legal supervision for legal advocacy groups, legal support to community groups and public legal education.
 
Dial-A-Law
Library of scripts prepared by lawyers to provide practical information on specific topics of law as they apply in B.C. Includes publications in Chinese.
 
Earth Words Abuse Information in over 70 Languages
Global inventory of hotlines, shelters, refuges, crisis centres and women's organizations, searchable by country, plus index of domestic violence resources in over 70 languages.
 
Family Services of Greater Vancouver
Provides professional counselling, therapy, consultation, education and other support services. The agency works with a diverse community in terms of age, ethnicity and socio-economic status.
 
Farm Workers Legal Advocacy Program
Promotes legal education to increase awareness among seasonal workers. Works in partnership with legal professionals to ensure legal redress for seasonal workers and present relevant information on the rights and obligations of the seasonal workers in a consistent and timely manner.
 
Family Law in BC
Website of self-help materials, links to legal resources and general information about family law.
 
JusticeBC
JusticeBC brings into one portal more than 300 pages of information about the criminal justice system, as well as links to other resources and services. Some of the basic information on JusticeBC about British Columbia's criminal justice system is in French, Chinese, Punjabi and Spanish. 
 
Justice Education Society
Provides educational programs and services about the Canadian justice system to the public and asists those working within the system to better understand the justice-related issues that different people face. Includes multilingual publications.
 
Justice for Girls Legal Advocacy Program
This advocacy program works to address breaches of girls' rights within criminal justice, child welfare, mental/health and educational institutions.
 
Law Centre (University of Victoria)
Provides advice, assistance and representation to clients who cannot afford a lawyer, clinical and legal education to law students, and legal education programs to the public. Includes self-help forms, fact sheets and booklets in English.
 
Lawyer Referral Service Information
This service is designed to assist the general public in finding an appropriate lawyer.
 
Legal Services Society
Provides information about legal aid as well as multilingual legal information through publications (printed and online), the LawLine (in English) and other websites.
 
MOSAIC Legal Advocacy Program
Provides information, summary advice, referrals and representation to low-income immigrants, refugees and newcomers.
 
MOSAIC Multicultural Victim Services Program
Delivers multilingual, culturally sensitive support to victims of crime, whether or not the police/justice systems are involved.
 
Motivation Power & Achievement Society
The society’s Advocacy and Social Justice program empowers and supports people with mental illness to ensure that their social and legal rights are respected and promoted.
 
Multilingual Legal Glossary
Vancouver Community College’s Multilingual Legal Glossary includes 5,000 Canadian legal and court-related terms in English plain language, and their equivalents in six other languages (Chinese, Farsi, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese).
 
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, BC Division, Volunteer Legal Advocacy Program
The main objective of this program is to make legal information and advocacy available by phone, email or in person to people living with multiple sclerosis in the Lower Mainland, Victoria and Kamloops. Publications in English on disability insurance, human rights, Canadian Pension Plan disability benefits, self-advocacy and knowledge about legal resources.
 
National Association of Women and the Law
A Canadian non-profit organization that since 1974 has worked to improve the legal status of women in Canada through law reform. Includes publications in English and French.
 
Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre
A non-government charitable society, volunteer driven and supported by the organizations and individuals involved in bringing about reform of adult guardianship legislation.
 
People's Law School
Provides multilingual legal information on a variety of topics in plain language and organizes legal educational events, presentations to schools and speakers for community groups in B.C.
 
PovNet
Searchable Website for people on welfare, advocates and community groups involved in antipoverty work. Provides up-to-date information about welfare and housing laws and resources in B.C., as well as links to anti-poverty issues and organizations.
 
Seniors Gateway to Legal Information and Resources
A project developed in partnership between 411 Seniors Centre and the Representation Agreement Resource Centre. Includes useful information in English for senior citizens.
 
SFU Centre for Education, Law and Society
Its main purpose is to improve the legal literacy of children and young adults through a program of teaching, curriculum development, research and community initiatives.
 
South Fraser Women's Services Society Legal Information and Advocacy Program
Provides legal information and support to women dealing with the family justice system.
 
S.U.C.C.E.S.S Services and Publications
A non-partisan citizen organization for the promotion of the wellbeing of Canadians and new immigrants and their participation in a just, equitable and culturally diverse society through the provision of services, community development and advocacy. English and Chinese Website.
 
The Kettle Friendship Society Advocacy Service Program
Advocacy service mandated to serve self-identified consumers/survivors of mental health services. The primary goal is to work on a self-empowerment model, addressing both individual needs and systemic issues.
 
The Poverty and Human Rights Centre
Committed to eradicating poverty and promoting social and economic equality through human rights. Its library is a searchable database of materials related to social and economic rights.
 
The Salvation Army Pro Bono Program 
Free legal advice program.
 
TRAC Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre
Community-based coalition of groups and individuals working to improve legal protection for tenants and promote community action for the purpose of protecting and increasing the supply of affordable rental housing in B.C. Includes multilingual fact sheets.
 
UBC Law Students Legal Advice Program
Non-profit society run by law students at the University of British Columbia, offering free legal advice and representation at clinics located throughout the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Includes the Legal Advice Program Manual (in English), intended to help law students in their law clinics.
 
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Library
The UNODC on-line legal library provides valuable access to legislation adopted by states and territories around the world to put into effect the international drug control conventions. Laws are published and added to the library in three of the working languages of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (English, French and Spanish).
 
Vancouver Refugee Services Alliance
Information for refugees in English, Chinese and Spanish.
 
West Coast Domestic Workers Association
A non-profit association that provides free legal assistance in the form of advocacy, support and counselling to live-in caregivers based in B.C. It operates a drop-in clinic five days a week.
 
West Coast Environmental Law
B.C.’ s legal champion for the environment. Through legal advice, education and advocacy, West Coast provides citizens and organizations with the knowledge, tools and innovative solutions needed to protect our environment and build sustainability locally, nationally and internationally. Includes multilingual publications.
 
West Coast Genesis Society
Actively promotes the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of persons socially marginalized due to factors such as: problematic substance use, emotional and mental health issues, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, criminal justice system involvement, aboriginal status and homelessness.
 
West Coast LEAF
An incorporated non-profit society in B.C. and a federally registered charity. English publications.