Tag: legal services society

Organization of the Month | September 2017

Get help using Clicklaw, The broader context

This month, we feature Legal Services Society (LSS), a Clicklaw contributor.

WHO WE ARE

The Legal Services Society (LSS) is a non-profit organization created by the LSS Act in 1979 to provide legal information, advice, and representation services to people with low incomes. Most people call us Legal Aid BC. Our priority is to serve the interests of people with low incomes. But many of our services are available to all British Columbians.

WHAT DO WE DO?

Every year we help tens of thousands of British Columbians with:

  • serious family problems,
  • child protection matters,
  • immigration issues, and
  • criminal law issues.

We do this by providing a range of services that help people resolve their legal problems. These services include legal information, legal advice, and legal representation. Our services are offered at legal aid locations throughout the province or by calling 1-888-577-2525.

WHAT ARE WE WORKING ON?

Our Community and Publishing Services department is our legal information branch of Legal Services Society. Here’s what they’re working on:

Since it’s launched the site has had over 36,000 users. The Make a Will pathway has been used around 5,600 times and the Make a Separation Plan pathway is just below that at around 5,400. We’ve also done extensive user testing since the launch. If you’ve used MyLawBC in the past, check it out again and complete a 2-3 minute survey about your experience with MyLawBC.com. You could win a cash prize of $100. If you want to let others know about MyLawBC, see the Communication Kit.

  • Community Partners

LSS partners with 26 agencies in BC to provide legal information, connect people to the LSS call centre or local agent, and/or connect people to other legal help. We call them our community partners. The contracts are small, but the impact is big because the front-line workers do other jobs for their agency that put them into direct and frequent contact with people who need legal help. For a complete list of locations and the names of our partners, visit the Community Partners webpage and the Clicklaw HelpMap (for an interactive Google Map).

  • New and upcoming publications about Gladue Rights and First Nations Court

We have a suite of publications letting people know about Gladue rights and First Nations Court. These are:

  • What’s First Nations Court? – This fact sheet explains restorative justice, how you get into First Nations Court, where First Nations Courts are located, who’s at First Nations Court, and what a healing plan is.
  • Your Gladue Rights – a plain language booklet about Aboriginal peoples’ rights under the Criminal Code of Canada called Gladue rights.
  • Gladue Rights at Bail and Sentencing – This infographic poster shows when Gladue rights apply for Aboriginal people during the criminal court process, and when to get a Gladue report or prepare an oral Gladue submission.
  • Coming later in 2017 will be the Gladue Submission Guide and the Gladue Report Guide which help Aboriginal people, advocates, and intermediaries make Gladue reports or submissions. Clicklaw blog subscribers will stay up to date with new publications like these through the Bi-Monthly Update Series.

Get the latest updates about Legal Services Society

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Stay informed with LSS:

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2017 Bi-Monthly Update Series: May/June

New on Clicklaw, The broader context

To keep you informed, here are some highlights of changes and updates made to Clicklaw in May and June:

Jan-Feb | Mar-Apr | May-Jun | Jul-Aug | Sep-Oct | Nov-Dec

Indigenous Law Research Unit (ILRU)

ILRU is committed to the recovery and renaissance of Indigenous laws. The following resources build awareness of Indigenous laws:

Legal Services Society

Legal Help for British Columbians
by Courthouse Libraries BC

All chapters have been recently reviewed and updated by a team of reviewers and contributors, all volunteers from the BC legal profession. This guide provides first steps to address over 40 common legal problems and information on where to get help. Published on Clicklaw Wikibooks, it is available in multiple media formats: wikibook, EPUB (for reading on a tablet or e-reader), PDF (print version), and printed books (will be available soon at public libraries across BC).

RDSP Tutorial
by PLAN Institute

This online tutorial helps you learn about Canada’s Registered Disability Savings Plan. You can navigate through the chapters at your own pace or go directly to a specific question from the list on the homepage.

Standardized wording for Bail, Probation and Conditional Sentence Orders
by Provincial Court of BC

This resource has a list of picklists, which are lists of standardized terms for court orders. They are stored in courtroom computers so a Court Clerk can use them to quickly and accurately capture the order a judge makes. When a judge decides to change the standard wording, a Court Clerk can edit the term accordingly.

Trans Rights BC
by Catherine White Holman Centre and the VCH Transgender Health Information Program

This website is part of a project that aims to disseminate human rights information that is accurate, accessible, and relevant to the safety and well-being of trans and gender-diverse individuals and their supportive allies across British Columbia.

Oversight at the Border: A Model for Independent Accountability at the Canada Border Services Agency
by BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA)

In this new report, BCCLA proposes a model for providing independent oversight and accountability to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). It also includes detailed recommendations on the components necessary to ensure effective, credible oversight and review of CBSA’s activities.

New Common Questions

With help from BC FIPA, we have added the following questions:

Updated common question: Is marijuana legal in BC?

Now includes the following resources from the federal government:

Stay informed:

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