Legal Services

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

ribbon icon and organisation name

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 October 2025
Logo of the British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society (BCANDS), featuring a stylized Indigenous design of a bird on the left, accompanied by the organization's name in black text.

BC Aboriginal Network on Disability Society

British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society (BCANDS)
The society provides services to eligible individuals, families, and organizations within Indigenous communities and in urban and rural centres. If you’re an Indigenous person with a disability, or a community or organization requiring disability information and support services, they may be able to help you.
Last reviewed October 2025
Logo showing the name "Seniors First BC" in a modern lowercase font in a gradient of blue colors, each letter overlapping the next.

Advance Planning Clinics

Seniors First BC
Staff lawyers and volunteer legal professionals can help eligible low-income older adults (55+) with drafting and executing wills, powers of attorney, and representation agreements.
Last reviewed October 2025
Logo with "Plan Institute" and three overlapping green circles to the right, and the words “for caring citizenship” below.

Disability Planning Helpline

Plan Institute
Experienced advisers, from financial advisers to personal coaches, are available on the helpline to answer questions about the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), the Registered Disability Savings Plan, estate planning, advocacy approaches, government benefit programs, and more. Includes one-on-one support for the DTC application process.
Last reviewed October 2025
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 of Nidus with a stylized wordmark with "Nid" in blue and "us" in green, with a small triangle above the letter "i."

In-person help from Nidus

Nidus Registry
Nidus can help you with personal planning. You can contact them on behalf of an adult you’re helping. They have a trained volunteer who helps with education, with forms for making a representation agreement, and with using the Nidus Registry. You need to book ahead for an in-person appointment in South Granville Seniors Centre (in Vancouver).
Last reviewed October 2025
Logo features the initials "JES" in green on the left and a grey scale of justice with the text "Justice Education Society" in a circular arrangement around it on the right.

Ask JES

Justice Education Society (JES)
Free information and referrals to help you deal with your legal issues. Questions are answered by UBC law students on weekdays from 11 am to 2 pm. Questions outside these hours will receive a response the next business day. Ask JES is supported by a knowledge base of over 1,000 legally reviewed questions and answers.
Last reviewed July 2025
Logo with the words "British Columbia" and a sun rising behind mountains.

Virtual Counter

Government of British Columbia
Book an appointment to speak directly with a court registry employee for assistance with court related matters by video or phone. Court registry staff will try to answer your questions about court processes, but they cannot help you complete your forms or give legal advice.
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
NSRLP logo featuring three speech bubbles, two in white and one in yellow, set against a gray background, with the wordmark on the bottom.

National Directory of Professionals Assisting SRLs

National Self-Represented Litigants Project
A directory of lawyers (as well as paralegals, and other professionals offering therapeutic support and assistance) offering self-represented litigants (SRLs) affordable assistance, primarily in the form of unbundled legal or limited-scope services (unbundling).
Last reviewed July 2025