7 Paths to affordable legal help

• Look for a legal assistance service that lets you know what your needed legal service will cost up front and that these costs are affordable;
• There are lawyers who set aside a small percentage of their workload to pro-bono cases, specifically aimed at those people who can not afford the services of a lawyer or the courtrooms;
• Some lawyers do take on cases for a percentage of the settlement fee. Be sure to be honest with your lawyer about your financial situation right from the start, in order to establish a remuneration agreement that will suit both of you;
• Some legal services are financed by provincial Legal Aid funding. Legal Aid offers legal advise to civil cases, however they only take on cases below a certain level of income and they do not fight most criminal cases;
• A lot of bar associations and institutions have legal clinics with qualified lawyers providing assistance to people wishing to represent their own case;
• You can also get courthouse facilitation services that assist people in filing papers, filling in forms and processing legal claims, and are focused towards helping people understand and unravel the court system; and
• Legal Aid Duty Counsel are qualified lawyers assigned to counsel defendants in criminal cases, and provide legal assistance at no cost or a minimal cost to individuals involved in criminal trials.