Legal Resources

An introduction to legal research for your civil case, including how to search for cases and where to find help.

An overview of hiring a lawyer, free and low-cost legal help, and how to prepare for a meeting with a lawyer.

An overview of alternatives to going to court, including the advantages of avoiding court.

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.

The basics of judicial review, which is when you’re asking the court to review a decision made by an administrative tribunal. It goes over the time limits, how to file your petition for judicial review, what happens to the original order while you wait for the review, what kind of mistakes can be reviewed, and possible outcomes.

This guide contains information about the steps required when you’re starting an Action by Notice of Civil Claim, the parties involved in an action, and how to prepare your documents. This applies to the Supreme Court of BC.

This guidebook gives an overview of how to start a proceeding by petition in BC Supreme Court and how to respond if you’ve been served with it. Topics include whether to start your proceeding with a petition or a notice of civil claim, and how to prepare, file, and serve your court documents.

How to appeal decisions from small claims court, the BC Provincial Court, and tribunals.

An introduction to requisitions, which civil rules apply, and how to fill in a requisition using Form 17.

This guidebook contains an overview of fast-track litigation (Rule 15-1), for civil, non-family claims in BC Supreme Court. Fast-track litigation allows you to shorten the entire litigation process if the amount in issue is $100,000 or less or the trial can be completed within three days.