Tag: PLEI

New Service Alert: Human Rights Clinic Provides Advocacy & Legal Representation

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BC Human Rights ClinicToday’s post introduces a New Service from The BC Human Rights Clinic and Community Legal Assistance Society (CLAS), a Clicklaw contributor.

 

WHY THIS NEW SERVICE?

The new BC Human Rights Clinic is the result of a 2014 Ministry of Justice review, merging two human rights organizations:

The BC Human Rights Coalition, who operated advocacy, information, and education services for the Clinic, merged with CLAS, who were operating legal services for the Clinic.

WHO CAN USE THIS NEW SERVICE?

You may qualify for this service if you have a complaint before the BC Human Rights Tribunal and seek legal representation or advocacy. You first go through an intake process and must meet certain criteria to qualify. One example of what can qualify you for assistance is the inability to obtain legal representation for free or at a reduced rate from a legal provider.

WHAT CAN THIS NEW SERVICE DO FOR YOU?

Advocacy provided includes:
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  • filing amendments;
  • attending settlement meetings;
  • negotiating settlements;
  • making applications;
  • responding to applications;
  • and doing disclosure

Legal Representation provided if your case is not settled or dismissed includes:

  • clinic lawyers who may represent the complainant at a full hearing; or
  • provide other limited legal assistance; or
  • CLAS lawyers who are able to provide further limited help with submissions if required, following a hearing.

In addition to advocacy and representation, the BC Human Rights Clinic is contracted to provide Public Legal Education and Information, a Drop-in Clinic and Duty Counsel services.

Click here to learn more about human rights

HOW DO I GET STARTED?       

Find Contact Information, Hours of Service and more at the BC Human Rights Clinic Service Listing for this service on the HelpMap.

Click here to learn more about Community Legal Assistance Society (CLAS)

 

CBABC’s Dial-A-Law Scripts come to Clicklaw Wikibooks

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Clicklaw, Courthouse Libraries BC (CLBC) and LawMatters are very pleased to let the public and legal information community know that the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch’s long-serving Dial-A-Law scripts are now on Clicklaw Wikibooks. They join a growing library of content from other key producers of 500px-Dial-A-Law_cover_imagepublic legal information, including People’s Law School, TRAC, BC CEAS and others including some authors CLBC helped to publish, such as Cliff Thorstenson and John-Paul Boyd. The collection of scripts will be printed in a 500+ page book to be shipped to public libraries in BC, at no cost to the libraries, in conjunction with the LawMatters program.

CLBC and CBABC announced this news by formal press release yesterday (April 14, 2015). It’s exciting since Dial-A-Law scripts are perhaps the longest-surviving example of the BC legal profession’s dedication to helping the public with free legal information. The scripts cover over 130 legal topics, and have existed in various formats for over 30 years. Dial-A-Law started in 1983 with help from the BC Law Foundation and its scripts have been edited by volunteer lawyers ever since. More information about the various ways you can access Dial-A-Law is on Clicklaw’s page for the service.

Yesterday’s announcement is significant because now the scripts are even more accessible. Clicklaw Wikibooks are all about keeping legal information in a single spot so that editors and lawyers can update it—this is one of the benefits of a Wikipedia-style platform—but letting the end user choose whether to print, read online, or otherwise export the content in a way that meets their needs. Users can download whole contents, or only portions, of Clicklaw Wikibook in PDF or EPUB. They can order a printed book for cost, or read it online.  Continue reading