If you've tried to resolve your family law problem but need some help, some of the services below may help you work out an agreement or apply for court orders. Use these links to find the best service to meet your needs.
Legal Help Lines
Ask JES Legal Help
Ask JES provides free legal information and resources. Chat live, call or text. Ask JES is an information and referral service that provides free answers to legal questions.
Family LawLINE
If you are a person with a low income experiencing a family law issue, you may be eligible for free legal advice over the telephone from a family lawyer.
Kinship Care Help Line (Grandparents and other relatives)
The Kinship Care Help Line provides support, advocacy and resource information to grandparents and other relatives raising a family member’s child as well as to service providers and allies.
VictimLink BC
VictimLink is a province-wide telephone help line for victims of family and sexual violence, and all other crimes. VictimLink BC is available free to people across BC and Yukon 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Emergency Services
Emergency Contact Information
Call 9-1-1 if you are in an emergency.
Crisis Line
Call 1-800-784-2433 or dial 9-8-8 if you are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including thoughts of suicide
Transition Houses
Temporary housing for women and children leaving abusive situations
Help from a Lawyer
Collaborative Family Lawyers
Specially trained lawyers who work in teams with separating spouses.
Pro Bono Collaborative Divorce Project
The BC Collaborative Roster Society offers a pro bono program for people going through separation or divorce who want, but can’t afford, to hire collaborative family lawyers. A team will work together with both parties to reach a settlement that may include a parenting plan and/or an agreement on financial matters and support. Apply for the pro bono program online.
Legal Aid BC
Legal Aid can provide free advice and representation for people with family law and child protection issues. They give priority to people with low incomes, but many services are available to all British Columbians.
Family Duty Counsel (Family Lawyers)
Family duty counsel (FDC) are lawyers paid by Legal Aid BC to help people with low incomes deal with their family law issues, including child protection issues. If you have a family law issue, you might qualify for help from family duty counsel in Provincial or Supreme Court even if you don't qualify for a legal aid lawyer.
Rise Women’s Legal Centre
Rise Women's Legal Centre provides accessible (free and low cost) family law services to self-identified women and gender diverse people in British Columbia.
Unbundled Legal Services
Find a lawyer who you can pay to take part of your case while you handle the rest yourself.
Lawyer Referral Service
You can get in touch with a lawyer through the Lawyer Referral Service, an online program that lets you meet with a lawyer for 15 minutes to discuss your legal problem. This meeting is free.
Everyone Legal Clinic
The Everyone Legal Clinic provides lower cost representation for people dealing with family, tenancy, employment, wills/estates, civil, corporate consumer or criminal law issues. Services are provided by articling clinicians work under the supervision of practicing lawyers, and provide legal services on a lower-cost, fixed-fee basis.
Mediation
Family Justice Counsellors
Family justice counsellors provide a variety of free services, including mediation, for families experiencing separation and divorce. Family justice counsellors are employed by the Attorney General and work in Justice Access Centre and Family Justice Centres throughout the province. Family justice counsellors and other staff in the centres offer a range of services, including:
- information and education,
- mediation and shuttle mediation,
- help with the court process, and
- development of parenting agreements and consent orders.
Arbitrators
If you and your partner can't agree on how to resolve some or all of your family matters, you can have them decided by an arbitrator who acts like a judge. The arbitrator listens to the position of each party and makes a decision that is legally binding. Both of you must agree to have the arbitration.
Mediator-Arbitrators
Some family law arbitrators are also trained as mediator-arbitrators (or med-arbitrators) and will do mediation with the two parties before continuing on with arbitration. The advantage is that if you can't resolve all your issues with mediation, you can continue with the same person for arbitration of the unresolved issues.
Parenting
Parenting Coordinators
Parenting coordinators help you and your separated partner settle parenting disagreements about what was agreed to in a separation agreement or was set out in a court order.
Parents Legal Centres
Parents Legal Centres (PLCs) help parents with child protection matters in the community.
BC Family Maintenance Agency
If you live in BC and have a valid support order or agreement you can enrol in the BCFMA. Some parents enrol because they are not getting payments, while others enrol to have BCFMA collect & track their payments. There is no fee to enrol.
Children & Youth
Child and Youth Legal Centre
The Centre provides legal support for young people who are experiencing problems relating to family law, child protection, a breach of their human rights and many other legal issues.
Representative for Children and Youth
Are you a child, youth or young adult having trouble accessing government services? Feel you are being treated unfairly or not being listened to? B.C.’s Office of the Representative for Children and Youth (RCY) supports young people and their families in dealing with the provincial child- and youth-serving system.
Indigenous People
Indigenous community legal workers
Indigenous community legal workers are Legal Aid BC staff available to help Indigenous people in Duncan and Nanaimo.
BC First Nations Justice Council — Indigenous Justice Centres
Indigenous Justice Centres offer culturally appropriate information, advice, support, and representation for Indigenous people. Visit their website for contact information for Indigenous Justice Centres across BC.
Native Courtworkers — Family/Youth advocates
Native courtworker family/youth advocates help Indigenous families as they go through the family court process. A family/youth advocate can help you at any time during a child protection investigation or family court process.
Wellness
Help Starts Here
This BC Ministry of Health website has over 2,600 service listings publicly-funded or not-for-profit mental health and substance use supports and many articles featuring easy to understand language and curated information about commonly searched topics.
Mental Health Support Line
310-6789 (no area code needed)
Other legal help
AC Friends of Court
Free help with legal forms ― Volunteers from the Amici Curiae Friendship Society (AC) can help you prepare forms for family law cases and understand legal procedures. The volunteers will help complete the documents but don’t provide legal advice.
Community Partners
Community partners are service providers located throughout BC who can help you:
- get free legal information;
- call legal aid;
- find your nearest legal aid location;
- get legal help online; and
- connect with people who can help.
See website for a complete list and contact information.
Justice Access Centres
The Justice Access Centre (JAC) can help you get the information you need to prepare your family or civil case.
YWCA Metro Vancouver
YWCA Metro Vancouver has programs and support services for women and families, including legal, housing, employment and wellness services.