Legal Services

Find organizations that provide legal help in BC. Most services are free or low cost.

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Legal Referral Service

Access Pro Bono
This service helps you get a customized referral to a lawyer, a notary, or a designated paralegal for a free 15 to 30-minute consultation. Booking fee may apply. If you would like further help from the legal professional, you can retain them at a rate you both agree to.
Last reviewed May 2026
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Access Pro Bono Summary Advice Program

Access Pro Bono
Offers free legal advice to low- and modest-income individuals by phone or videoconference. Their volunteer lawyers provide up to a half hour of advice at each appointment, with the possibility of more appointments. Legal issues include family, immigration, criminal, and civil law (such as debt, employment, welfare, and housing matters).
Last reviewed May 2026
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Everyone Legal Clinic (fixed-fee legal services)

Access Pro Bono
Connect with an articling clinician or a community lawyer who offers affordable legal services on a limited scope and fixed fee basis. Areas covered are family law, residential tenancy, employment and benefits, wills and estates, and civil disputes.
Last reviewed May 2026
Logo featuring the scales of justice, in white, inside a circle. The left side of the circle is blue, the right side is green. Below are the words “The Canadian Bar Association British Columbia Branch.”

Find-a-Lawyer

The Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch (CBABC)
Online legal directory where you can find legal services in your community by searching for the location, area of practice, and language spoken to find all lawyers that meet those criteria. You can also find a specific lawyer or law firm if you know the name.
Last reviewed May 2026
Logo showing the name "Seniors First BC" in a modern lowercase font in a gradient of blue colors, each letter overlapping the next.

Elder Law Clinic

Seniors First BC
Offers pro bono (free) legal advice to eligible older adults (55+) living in BC on a wide range of legal matters, including helping throughout court processes and dealing with adult guardianship issues. They also help prepare advance planning documents such as wills, powers of attorney, and representation agreements.
Last reviewed October 2025
Logo with a circular emblem featuring a bird's-eye view of four human-like figures around a central yellow and green flower motif.

Claims Helpers

First Nations Child and Family Services and Jordan’s Principle Settlement
Trained helpers offer free, one-on-one assistance to submit a claim for compensation from the First Nations Child and Family Services and Jordan's Principle Settlement. They can help with filling out the claim forms and gathering supporting documents. Individual support and groups sessions are available.
Last reviewed September 2025
Logo with a stylized Indigenous upside-down bird in black, white, and red, flying in front of a red rising sun over snowy mountain peaks, all enclosed in a black circle.

Community law advocate (Smithers)

Dze Ḻ K’ant
The legal advocate helps clients navigate the legal systems and understand complex information, focusing on the issues faced by urban Indigenous communities. Legal problems covered include tenancy, income assistance (welfare), disability, government pensions, Child Tax Benefit, debt and consumer, employment standards, and WorkSafeBC.
Last reviewed July 2025
Logo features a line drawing of a green house with blue mountains in the background, next to the organization name.

Community law advocate (Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton)

Sea to Sky Community Services
Provides free legal support to people and families with low incomes on issues including tenancy, income assistance, disability benefits, debt issues, and other legal matters. The program also provides public education, information, guidance, and referrals to other services when needed.
Last reviewed July 2025
Logo features two stylized trees and the text "Burnaby Family Life: A Place to Go...A Place to Grow!" in blue.

Family law and community law advocate (Burnaby)

Burnaby Family Life
This program provides free and confidential legal information, advocacy and referrals to qualifying residents in the Lower Mainland. The program includes family law and community law advocates.
Last reviewed July 2025
The logo features a stylized infinity symbol, with the female symbol joined to the infinity symbol on the bottom left, and the male symbol joined to the infinity symbol on the top right. The words "Catherine While Holman Wellness Centre" are to the right of the female symbol.

Summary legal advice

Catherine White Holman Wellness Centre
Provides low-barrier wellness services to trans and gender-diverse people. Volunteer lawyers offer summary advice about legal issues you may have — family law, human rights, employment, immigration, etc. (But they can’t take on your case and act for you as your lawyer.) They can also notarize documents, for example for a name or gender change.
Last reviewed July 2025