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[Update April 24, 2012: Please note this service was a one-day event and is no longer available. For free and low-cost legal advice services in your community, check out Clicklaw’s HelpMap.]

Yes? Then get your dialing finger limbered up for this Saturday, April 21st.

As part of BC’s Law Week, the BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association (CBABC) is holding a province-wide “Dial-A-Lawyer Day” on Saturday from 10am -2 pm. Volunteer lawyers will speak with you for up to 15 minutes for free on matters concerning these law topics. 

If you live in the Lower Mainland you can call 604.687.3221.  If you live elsewhere in BC you can call 1.800.663.1919. Go to their event listing here for more information.

Outside of Dial-A-Lawyer Day, the CBABC regularly provides a service to help connect you with the right lawyer called the Lawyer Referral Service.  Lawyers who participate in the program offer an initial consulation of up to 30 minutes at a small fee of $25 plus taxes.

If you do not need legal advice but want general information on a variety of topics on the law in BC, the CBABC also regularly offers a free  service called Dial-A-Law. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you can call the listed phone numbers from anywhere in BC to listen to information prepared by lawyers, or you can read the same information online. Information is available in English, Chinese and Punjabi.

BC’s Law Week 2012: celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Charter

The broader context

Every April the Canadian Bar Association  organizes events across Canada to celebrate the signing of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In BC, Law Week is a collaborative project organized through the partnership of the BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association (CBABC), the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia, the Law Foundation of British Columbia, the Law Society of British Columbia, and the Vancouver Bar Association.

This year’s theme is Access to Justice: The Celebration of the Charter of Rights in recognition of the Charter’s 30th birthday. From April 15-22, events such as a speech contest for students, the Dial-A-Lawyer program, and the 9th annual CBABC Fun Run, will be held at various locations throughout BC.

Here at Clicklaw, we think it would be smashing if you joined us at the Vancouver Law Week Open House on Tuesday the 17th. A chance for the public and student groups to learn about the law and the legal system, this year’s Open House is being held outside the Vancouver Art Gallery from 10 am to 3pm. Clicklaw, alongside their friends from Access Pro Bono Society of British Columbia , will be there to answer your questions and share what we do. We’d love to see you!  You will also be able to  learn specifically about Clicklaw at Law Day events in Nanaimo (on the 14th) and Victoria (on the 21st ).

To get you all primed for Law Week, check out these Clicklaw resources from CBABC: