Legal Resources

A graphic novel and video that tell the story of Emily, who struggles with addiction and an unhealthy relationship. She loves her son, Greg, but can’t always take care of him. When he goes into foster care, she gets legal help and family support to get him back.

A series of guidebooks on the Supreme Court of BC for cases involving a civil matter — claims exceeding $35,000, as well as bankruptcy, personal injury, and contract disputes. Explains everything from starting an action and serving documents to how trial works and how to enforce an order after trial.

If you are a party to a Supreme Court action and are successful on a chambers application or at trial, you may request that the other party pay your costs. This guidebook gives an overview of the procedure for assessing costs of civil, non-family claims in BC Supreme Court.

This primer is designed to help self-represented litigants (SRLs) navigate CanLII in order to prepare for the presentation of their cases — in court, in chambers, or as part of a negotiation or mediation. CanLII (canlii.org) is a free legal service that can be accessed by anyone on the web.

This guide explains how the tribunal works in plain language. It gives the definition of administrative tribunal and explains the roles of different parties involved. Topics outlined include making the applications, what happens in the hearing, and what to do if you disagree with the decision.

This chapter on employment insurance is from the manual used by law students handling cases at LSLAP’s legal clinics. It provides an overview of how to apply for EI (as well as how to appeal) and summarizes the law relating to qualification requirements, benefit rates, penalties, and offences.

Practical, step-by-step information on your legal rights and options if you get fired or laid off. Topics include if you are fired, how much notice an employer needs to give you, getting laid off, if your employer has made big changes to your job, and applying for employment insurance.

This section of the Small Claims BC website has forms used in a small claims case, including for mediation. The forms are in a PDF format that can be filled in and printed out. There is also an online “filing assistant” that walks you through completing some of the forms online.

A webinar to help you learn how to arrange your estate and prepare a will, and the various ins and outs of setting up a trust specifically for your loved one with a disability. It covers the different types of trusts available, and how to arrange your will so it doesn’t affect disability benefits.

This page explains your rights and what you’re entitled to if your common-law spouse dies. It outlines the different definitions of “spouse,” and describes what happens if your spouse left a will, or if they died without a will. It also explains pension, survivor, and CPP benefits and custody and guardianship of children.