JESS – A Virtual Assistant for BC Supreme Court Matters

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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.

Lawyer-Client Interaction: Law Society of BC’s Publications Dealing with Billing, Filing Complaints and Lawyers’ Code of Conduct

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You are facing a legal problem and you have reached a point where you decide to hire a lawyer.  You want to make sure you use their time well, but how do you do that?    The Law Society of British Columbia has published a number of helpful guides to assist clients who are seeking legal assistance and generally trying to learn more about lawyers’ professional code of conduct.

You and Your Lawyer is a brochure that describes the working relationship between lawyer and client.  Here you will find out about when to seek legal services, how to prepare for your initial meeting with your lawyer, how lawyers set their fees as well as ways to reduce your legal costs.

 Sometimes, you may have a complaint about your lawyer. Complaints About Lawyers explains what types of complaints the Law Society can investigate, and how to go about filing a complaint. It’s also a good source for finding out about professional standards and ethics governing lawyers.       

 Clicklaw offers complementary resources on this topic.  Check out our commonly asked questions:  My lawyer’s bill is too high , How do I make a complaint against my lawyer?