LSLAP is a poverty law clinic. If you can afford legal help from any other avenue, please consult them instead.
LSLAP assists low-income earners who live the lower Mainland of BC with various legal issues, including:
In addition, we can offer representation on a case-by-case basis in such hearings as:
We can also draft certain types of legal documents, including:
- Criminal (summary offences where the Crown is not seeking jail time);
- Civil Resolution (must be a civil claim under $5,000)
- Small Claims (must be a civil claim under $25,000, $35,000 if filed after June 1st, 2017);
- Employment Standards;
- Residential Tenancy;
- WorkSafe BC;
- Consumer Protection;
- Employment Insurance;
- CPP and Old-Age Pension;
- Wills and Estates; and
- Immigration and Refugee
In addition, we can offer representation on a case-by-case basis in such hearings as:
- Small Claims Court;
- Criminal Court;
- Welfare Appeals;
- Residential Tenancy Branch Arbitrations;
- Employment Standards Board; and
- Immigration and Refugee Hearings
We can also draft certain types of legal documents, including:
- Demand Letters;
- Wills (if the total value of the estate is under $25,000);
- Powers of Attorney;
- Representation Agreements and Advanced Directives; and,
- Notice of Claims and Replies.
There are certain areas of law that LSLAP CANNOT assist with, including:
- Family Law issues, including divorce;
- Any issues relating to ICBC
- Business and Commercial Law;
- Land/Property or Strata matters;
- Personal injury or defamation law suits;
- Union issues;
- Probate or administrative matters related to wills;
- Impaired driving charges or traffic offences;
- Criminal offences which are indictable, or criminal charges where the Crown has chosen to proceed by way of indictment;
- Summary conviction (non-indictable) criminal charges where a jail sentence is likely, or where the Crown is seeking a jail sentence;
- Criminal offences in youth court;
- Matters requiring appearances in or applications to a Superior level court (the BC Supreme Court, the BC Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada).
- Complaints against lawyers, doctors, or government;
- Complaints against educational institutions that have not exhausted all internal avenues of relief; and
- Any file where the supervising lawyer determines that a law student cannot properly assist the client.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you a part of legal aid?
No, we are a separate organization to Legal Aid BC. Their website can be found here.
Due to the high volume of clients and our limited resources, we are unable to assist those who qualify for legal aid or who already have legal representation. If you are able to afford legal services from any other avenue, please seek that option.
Due to the high volume of clients and our limited resources, we are unable to assist those who qualify for legal aid or who already have legal representation. If you are able to afford legal services from any other avenue, please seek that option.
can i book an appointment with a lawyer instead of a law student?
No, all of our clinicians are law students, but all of their file work is overseen by one of our three fully trained and licensed supervising lawyers. This unique model allows us to offer our services for free while also providing an educational experience for students. This means that you will not be able to receive any legal advice instantly upon calling or booking an appointment, because all file work must first be approved by a supervising lawyer. We ask for your patience and support as we work hard to service the community.
Do you have drop-in services?
Unfortunately, due to the high volume of clients and safety concerns due to COVID-19, we are unable to have drop-in appointments. If you would like to book an appointment, please call our phone operator at 604-822-5791. We are able to offer some in-person appointments should you require this, but an appointment must be made in advance.
i have a court appearance/trial/urgent matter. can you represent me?
We require at least 3 months' notice to represent someone at trial. This is because we first have to find a trial supervising lawyer.
If you have an upcoming court appearance that is not a trial, we may be able to help, but please note that our turnaround times are typically 2-3 weeks due to the need for supervising lawyer approval on all student file work. We cannot guarantee any representation or prompt services for urgent matters.
If you have an upcoming court appearance that is not a trial, we may be able to help, but please note that our turnaround times are typically 2-3 weeks due to the need for supervising lawyer approval on all student file work. We cannot guarantee any representation or prompt services for urgent matters.
do you provide services in other languages?
We offer Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) services at our Chinatown Location. If you need help, please call (604)684-1628 to set of a Chinese language appointment.
Otherwise, please note your preferred language during your initial phone interview and we may be able to accommodate, depending on the availability of student clinicians who can speak that language.
Otherwise, please note your preferred language during your initial phone interview and we may be able to accommodate, depending on the availability of student clinicians who can speak that language.