ACCESS PRO BONO SOCIETY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA – Comox Valley Community Services Directory

300-845 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 4Z9
Business Phone: 604-482-3195 Fax: 604-893-8934
Toll-free: 1-877-762-6664
Client Phone: 604-878-7400
Email: help@accessprobono.ca Website: www.accessprobono.ca

Mission
To promote access to justice in British Columbia by providing and fostering quality pro bono legal services for people and non-profit organizations of limited means.

Objectives

To relieve poverty by fostering, organizing and providing quality pro bono legal services to individuals and organizations of limited means.
To facilitate access to justice by persons and organizations of limited means and to promote and strengthen the provision of pro bono legal services in British Columbia by:
(i) improving the quality and capacity of existing pro bono and other legal service programs;
(ii) developing and operating, or assisting in the development and operation of, programs that enhance access to justice and to legal services in communities throughout British Columbia, including pro bono programs and community clinics offering free legal advice and assistance; and
(iii) assisting organizations to establish pro bono or volunteer components to their services and programs.
To provide training, resources and information to individuals and organizations facilitating access to justice or providing pro bono legal services;
To conduct research into issues which relate to access to justice, the provision of pro bono legal services and volunteerism in the legal sector.

Principles

Pro bono legal services are those legal services that are provided to people and non-profit organizations of limited means without expectation of a fee.
Pro bono legal services should be designed and provided according to the changing social and legal needs of the people and non-profit organizations of limited means for whom they are intended.
Pro bono legal services should be provided to people and organizations of limited means according to the same standards of dedication, excellence, and professional ethics as paid legal services.
Pro bono legal services should serve to complement and not replace government-funded programs advancing access to justice; a collaborative pro bono system should not substitute for a properly funded legal aid system

Programs & Services
We offer several programs serving the critical legal needs of BC’s individuals and non-profit organizations of limited means, ranging from summary legal advice clinics to full legal representation services.

Summary Advice Program
APB operates an extensive network of summary legal advice clinics throughout the province. Clients can make appointments through our Vancouver office and, in some instances, directly through the local clinic. Our volunteer lawyers provide up to a half-hour of free legal advice to clients, and additional appointments may be available.

Programs & Services

Civil Chambers Program
The Civil Chambers Program provides legal assistance and representation services to low- and modest-income individuals engaged in civil (non-family) chambers litigation matters before the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal in Vancouver.

Roster Program
The Roster Program provides pro bono representation services for particular case types to qualifying individuals and non-profit organizations. Client applications are screened by APB
staff and volunteer coordinators, and then sent to a number of lawyers for their consideration. If a lawyer responds to the particular case, they choose the scope of their services. Insurance and disbursement coverage is made available to roster lawyers.

Mental Health Program
The Mental Health Program provides pro bono representation services to individuals contesting their involuntary detainment under the BC Mental Health Act.

Residential Tenancy Program
APB has worked with Community Legal Assistance Society (CLAS) and the Tenancy Resource and Advocacy Center (TRAC) to launch a program designed to represent low-income individuals (qualifying tenants and landlords) appearing before the Residential Tenancy Branch.

Solicitors’ Program
The Solicitors’ Program is designed to facilitate the provision of pro bono legal services to charitable and non-profit community organizations of limited means.

Paralegal Program
APB has partnered with the Vancouver Justice Access Centre and the Law Courts Center to provide support for self-represented litigants who need assistance in preparing court documents. The Program operates as a weekly evening clinic at the Vancouver Justice Access Centre at the downtown Vancouver courthouse.

Wills Clinic
APB, in partnership with the federal Department of Justice and the provincial Ministry of Justice, operates a weekly Will and Representation Agreement preparation clinic at the Vancouver Justice Access Centre for low-income seniors (ages 55+) and people with terminal illnesses.