Note

This site was originally operated by the Western Canada Society to Access Justice ("Access Justice"). Since April 2010 Access Justice and the Pro Bono Law of BC Society ("PBLBC") have merged to form a new organization called the Access Pro Bono Society of British Columbia. This website and the PBLBC website are being maintained until a new website is developed. Information at this website generally relates to the legal advice clinic program at Access Pro Bono. Some information relating to the history of Access Justice has also been maintained.

Need legal advice?

• Call 604-878-7400 / 1-877-762-6664 (From outside Greater Vancouver), or email us to book a session with a Pro Bono Lawyer.
• Visit our Appointments page to find an available lawyer session.
• Visit our Clinics page to find clinic locations and contact information.

About Us

• We are a non-profit society incorporated in February 2010 to carry on the work of the Western Canada Society to Access Justice and Pro Bono Law of British Columbia, which formally merged as of April 1, 2010.
• All services are provided free of charge by our volunteer lawyers.
• Our services include:
• 85 summary legal advice clinics in community centres, social agencies, churches and courthouses located throughout the province;
• a province-wide roster program providing representation services to individuals and non-profit organizations of limited means;
• a superior courts civil duty counsel project in Vancouver; and
• a Children's Lawyer Project in Nanaimo.
• Facilities are provided by social agencies committed to providing help to the needy.

Our Vision

A justice system in which having limited means is not a barrier to obtaining quality legal services.

Our Mission

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

Our 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 provided to people and organizations of limited means according to the same standards of dedication, excellence, and professional ethics as paid legal services; and
• 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.

Our History

The Western Canada Society to Access Justice ("Access Justice") was incorporated in August of 1990 and was originally known as the Lower Mainland Society to Assist Research of Trials (START), comprised mainly of senior litigation lawyers. Access Justice had a history of research and provided a number of working papers on the length of court proceedings and other legal access issues. The Society was a leader in issues such as advocating for the abolition of P.S.T. and G.S.T. on legal bills. From 1999 through to 2009, one of the Society's main thrusts was the development of pro bono clinics across western Canada.

On April 1, 2010 Access Justice merged operations with Pro Bono Law of BC to form the Access Pro Bono Society of BC. The new organization brings the capacity to provide more efficient and seamless pro bono legal services in meeting the ever-increasing and otherwise unmet legal needs of BCs people and non-profit organizations of limited means. Access Pro Bono now operates 85 clinics across BC. In 2009, 379 lawyers volunteered at our clinics and served 5,121 clients. A further 153 lawyers provided legal assistance and representation services to 405 clients, through roster and duty counsel programs formerly operated by Pro Bono Law of BC.

With Gratitude

We express gratitude to our lawyer volunteers, non-lawyer volunteers, host agencies, and donors. Collectively, your continued dedication to the Society has helped to sustain Dugald Christie's vision of a more equitable legal system.
We acknowledge generous financial support from the Law Foundation of British Columbia.

For further information on our donors and funders, please see our Donor tabs.