Are you preparing for a tough talk with your boss and want to get tips on negotiation tactics that will help the dialogue move forward?  Does your phone bill reflect charges that were not included in your original contract and you want to dispute the matter with your phone provider?  Are you a licensed practical nurse who wants to appeal a decision of your College’s Registrar of complaints?  All of these issues fall under the jurisdiction of boards, tribunals and government agencies that make rules affecting our daily lives.  This is administrative law territory. 

On April 15, Justice Education Society relaunched the AdminLawBC site that is intended to help British Columbians identify and navigate the appropriate administrative agencies in order to properly address issues dealt by each organization.  The updated site lists all the administrative agencies by topic, some of which include:

• Citizenship, Rights & Law Enforcement
• Culture & Information
• Employment & Labour
• Health & Health Professionals
• Professional & Associations

The new and improved AdminLawBC site uses straightforward language, instructional videos as well as soon-to-be released automated assistant (JESS) or chat, that will help with identifying the appropriate agency and guiding users to relevant information resources addressing their specific administrative law matter.  

Also, have a look at Clicklaw for additional resources dealing with various administrative law areas, as identified under the following Common Questions – I have to do my own judicial review, I’ve been cut off workers’ compensation benefits, I’m representing myself at a landlord/tenant hearing, I’m preparing for a tribunal.  Where can I find out what to do?

“An intimate text is posted on Facebook for all her friends to see.” 

 “A picture of his tipsy girlfriend circulates on Twitter without her even knowing.”

These are real examples of cyberbullying and chances are you know someone who has been affected by it.

needhelpnow.ca is a new initiative launched by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection Inc., an organization dedicated to the personal safety of Canadian children and youth.  The site offers information and help resources for young people who have been impacted by a sexual picture, text or video being circulated among their peers via social networks. 

needhelpnow.ca offers real solutions for youth dealing with cyberbullying including information on who to contact to request a picture or video to be removed, guidance on how to report an incident and useful tips on how to recognize signs of bullying and taking steps to prevent this type of harassment. 

Using videos, plain language discussion and reflecting the sensitive nature of cyberbullying, needhelpnow.ca is a great go-to site for youth as well as teachers poised to start a discussion on this topic with their students. 

For more information on this subject check out our Common Question – What can you do about cyberbullying? – on Clicklaw.

By Priyan Samarakoone (guest blogger)

(Access Pro Bono Society of BC)

We’re soon approaching the 1st anniversary of the Access Pro Bono Wills Clinic, and it’s been quite the success.  As one of a handful of Pro Bono Projects for the Department of Justice (DOJ), these programs marked the first time the DOJ got involved in Pro Bono Services in Canada in its 140 plus year history. We have since expanded and now have a mix of both government and private sector lawyers involved in the program.

Estate planning is an important issue for most families.  Proper planning can make the lives of loved ones much simpler and result in significantly less conflicts and disputes.  Estate Planning can range from drafting wills to drawing up representation agreements (for medical and financial decision making) as well as assigning a Power of Attorney.  While the Wills Clinic is not able to provide all these documents as of yet, we do believe that drawing up a simple will should be available to all those in need. 

The Wills Clinic takes place every Wednesday at the Justice Access Centre at the Provincial Courthouse in Downtown Vancouver.  We are able to assist 8 to 12 clients each month and we aim to have a document prepared within one month after the initial interview with a client.  The Wills Clinic has also recently expanded its scope to include section 7 Representation Agreements for medical decision making and other standard powers. 

If you would like further information regarding this program or would like to book an appointment, please contact the Wills Clinic at 604-424-9600 or email willsclinic@accessprobono.ca    

Program Criteria: for low income seniors (Age 55+) and people with a terminal illness. 

Location: The Justice Access Centre, Room 290 800 Hornby St. (By appointment only).

BC lawyer John-Paul Boyd has updated his popular family law website, and with some help from Courthouse Libraries BC, it has been re-launched as a Clicklaw Wikibook, JP Boyd on Family Law.

JP Boyd on Family Law reflects the changes that came into effect in BC last month with the new Family Law Act. It offers practical, indepth information written in plain language on a wide range of family law topics, including:

• resolving problems out of court,
• family law agreements,
• child support & spousal support, and
• property & debt.

This new Clicklaw Wikibook includes over 50 “How Do I” pages, a legal glossary, links to court forms and examples of documents. JP offers the same tone and frank, pragmatic (and often humorous) approach to family law issues that made bcfamilylawresource.com such a valued resource.

JP Boyd on Family Law continues to complement other updated sources of family law information, including the Family Law in BC Website from LSS and other family law resources available through Clicklaw.

For more information about JP Boyd on Family Law, see the one-sheeter describing this new Clicklaw Wikibook and the news release announcing the launch of JP Boyd on Family Law.

What are Clicklaw Wikibooks?

Clicklaw Wikibooks are collaboratively developed, plain language legal publications that are born-wiki and can also be printed. Using the same technology that powers Wikipedia, they are updated over the Internet by a team of qualified contributors. They are free to access and download, and can be printed as a softcover book at a low cost. They enable legal information to be shared widely with British Columbians who seek reliable, up-to-date information to address legal issues or learn about the law.

The Clicklaw Wikibook format makes the information easy to search, easy to update, and easy to turn into a print resource. In fact, later this spring, we’ll be working with public libraries to make sure a print version of JP Boyd on Family Law is available at your public library.

Tags: Clicklaw Wikibooks, wikibook

Wondering about drinking and driving laws?  How much alcohol in your system makes it okay for you to drive?  Drinking and driving legislation is a very complex area of law, where both provincial (BC Motor Vehicle Act) and federal statutes (Criminal Code of Canada) apply, depending on the circumstances. 

 The British Columbia branch of the Canadian Bar Association features a recently updated Dial-a-law script titled Drinking & Driving that outlines the rights and responsibilities of someone who is stopped by the police and suspected of driving under the influence.

 Essentially, if you do drink and drive you can face three serious criminal charges:

 (a) displaying blood-alcohol level of over .08 or over eighty

 (b) demonstrating impaired driving due to alcohol or drug consumption, and

 (c) refusing to provide a breath sample without a lawful excuse. 

 What to do if you are charged with a drinking & driving offence , a guide published by LSS, is a good starting point for those interested in what happens when someone is charged with drinking and driving under the Criminal Code.   In summary, this guide explains the type of charges that apply, offers a checklist of what the prosecution must prove in court, outlines the steps involved in defending  yourself in court and what sentence one can expect if found guilty. 

 Both guides emphasize the complicated nature of drinking and driving offences and encourage clients to seek legal advice when necessary.

One of the significant changes brought about by the new Family Law Act is in the area of family violence, as briefly described in this Vancouver Sun article. In the words of BC Attorney General Shirley Bond, the new Act is about “ensuring children’s interest and safety are given the utmost priority”. Our newly updated common question directs you to three publications that can help you get started on understanding how the new law would deal with the subject matter.

The common question “What happens with parenting of the children in cases of wife abuse?” features the following resources on Clicklaw:

• Live Safe – End Abuse: Parenting provides brief information on your custody, guardianship and access rights.
• Surviving Relationship Violence and Abuse explains what women can do to protect themselves and their children.
• The Family Law Act: A Plain Language Guide for Women who have experienced abuse explains sections of the Family Law Act that affect women leaving or thinking of leaving an abusive relationship, including what happens with children after separation.

You may also want to check out Clicklaw’s common question: I want to learn more about the new BC Family Law Act. It features helpful resources for navigating the new BC Family Law Act.

Gearing up for Law Week 2013 the BC Branch of Canadian Bar Association will be offering free legal consultation sessions as part of its Dial-A-Lawyer Day, happening on Saturday, April 13.  Law Week is a terrific initiative that aims to raise awareness about our legal system, recognizing the dedicated legal professionals involved and it aims to help the public understand how the justice system works. 

 The Dial-A-Lawyer event makes legal advice accessible.  If you live in British Columbia and you have a question about a legal issue in the following 6 areas of law – family, wills & estates, tort & motor vehicle accident, immigration, business or criminal – you can call (604.687.3221 or 1.800.663.1919) and speak with a lawyer for up to 15 minutes for free. 

 While we are on the topic of free legal advice take a look at other options available to members of the public seeking an alternative to costly legal services.

By Nate Prosser (guest blogger)
Legal Services Society (Legal Aid BC)

This week saw a shake-up in family law as the new Family Law Act replaced the old Family Relations Act, and a slew of legal changes came into force. As a result of these changes, many of the family law publications produced before the act came into force are no longer legally accurate.

With this in mind, the Legal Services Society (LSS) has revised all of its family law and child protection publications. This included creating many new publications, from booklets to fact sheets and self help-guides, and revising more than 20 booklets, brochures, flow charts, and fact sheets. In addition to these, all information on the Family Law in BC website has been updated to reflect the new Family Law Act.

A list of new and revised resources can be found on the Family Law in BC website. All of the updated publications are available online and in print now (see also Families & children and Abuse & family violence in the publications section of the LSS website).

If you have any copies of these publications dated earlier than March 18, 2013, please recycle and replace them with the updated editions, as they are now incorrect.

Tags: guest column

Confused about the new BC Family Law Act?  The new BC Family Law Act is in force as of today (March 18, 2013), and the Legal Services Society has published three very helpful new resources that explain the many changes. We’ve combined these resources in  a new common question:

I want to learn more about the new BC Family Law Act

Here is what you can expect to find in the new LSS publications:

• The Guide to the New BC Family Law Act includes information about language changes, making agreements to stay out of court, parenting arrangements, child and spousal support, dividing property and debt, family law protection orders, and moving with children.
• The FAQ pamphlet, presented in a Q & A format, addresses how the new law affects family matters, touching on issues pertaining to children, property and debt, and support payments.  In also highlights some of the changes to legal terminology.
•  The Quick Reference Tool is a set of easy-to-understand visual cue cards that set out to explain the basics of the new family law and direct users to necessary next steps and resources.

JESS, the Justice Education Society’s electronic diagnostic tool, is now available on the BC Supreme Court website.  Self-representing litigants dealing with civil, family law and criminal matters now have access to personalized free legal help via online chat and over the phone.  

 The civil matters component of JESS offers practical advice including tips on preparing a case, effective note taking methods and how to conduct yourself in court.  Navigating JESS is easy – you simply zero in on a specific stage of the litigation process, e.g. Before Trial, After Trial, to obtain a list of booklets covering that particular topic.  For example, the booklet titled Case Planning Conference describes the process of how parties come together before the trial to discuss and plan how the case will proceed.  Once the trial is in progress other questions may arise, such as what evidence must be presented in Court?  Answers to these questions can be found in the booklet titled Proving Your Case in Supreme Court.  

 Last but not least, check out Clicklaw’s own Common Question – I am trying to prepare a Supreme Court case – for additional resources on this topic.