CBABC Dial-A-Law Factsheets Updated

New on Clicklaw

A unique feature of Clicklaw is that most of what you see on the site comes directly from the organizations that produce the information. That is, contributors to the site add and update their own resource entries on Clicklaw. Our Clicklaw team provides support, but the contributors do the heavy lifting.

The Canadian Bar Association BC Branch, for example, updates their Clicklaw entries for the Dial-A-Law factsheets, also called scripts because they can be accessed by phone as recorded messages (call 604-687-4680 in the Lower Mainland or 1-800-565-5297 elsewhere in BC). Among the Dial-A-Law scripts that have been updated recently are Applying for Employment Insurance Benefits, Pleading Guilty to a Criminal Charge,  and Aboriginal Law. 

There are a total of 129 Dial-A-Law factsheets, in virtually all areas of law, so we are hugely grateful for the CBABC’s efforts in keeping the Clicklaw entries updated. The factsheets, which use plain language and are (in most instances) translated into Chinese and Punjabi, are among the more popular resources on the site.

Passing of the Torch: LawLINK and Electronic Law Library

The broader context

In the last two weeks, two public legal information websites in BC have been retired and now redirect visitors to Clicklaw. The Electronic Law Library was developed over 10 years ago for public librarians in BC to assist people in finding the laws and legal information on the Internet. In 2002, LawLINK was designed as a gateway into legal information for low income and marginalized communities.  

Both sites were developed by the Legal Services Society, and were excellent resources. They set the stage for a site like Clicklaw to take the next step in providing enhanced features and consolidating legal information on one site. We recognize the great work done by the Legal Services Society, and are honoured to continue the tradition of providing the public in BC with access to legal information.