Plain language legal resources

JP Boyd on Family Law:

A great resource for questions related to family law, such as separation & divorce, child & spousal support, custody, and family violence. The title includes the Helpful Guides and Common Questions section that has practical answers and guidance in response to common family law questions. The online version also includes links to the BC Supreme and Provincial Family Court forms with some completed examples of commonly asked for Supreme court forms. 

Family Law in BC:

Maintained by Legal Aid BC, this site covers family law topics such as separation, divorce, parenting & guardianship, child & spousal support, and abuse & family violence. It can be browsed by topic or searched by keyword and includes step by step guides to many court procedures. 

Online Divorce Assistant:

This BC Government resource helps users do their own divorce (without a lawyer) by asking questions and generating the necessary court forms from their answers. Users will need to have an email address to create an account. This resource is only available for joint uncontested divorces (the spouses are in agreement, don’t need the court to settle anything, and are applying for divorce together).

Nidus:

Nidus provides community resources on personal planning, including information on representation agreements, power of attorney, and end-of-life planning.

Wills and Estates Collection:

This collection brings together all the wills & estates Wikibook titles produced by People’s Law School. Popular titles include Preparing your Will, Being an Executor and A Death in the Family.

Wills & Estates:

This collection by People’s Law School brings together a number of pages featuring step by step guidance to dealing with estates. Pages you might find helpful include:

• Ten Steps to Settling an estate
• Probating the Will
• Applying for a Grant of Administration

Consumer Protection BC:

This is the provincial regulator of consumer transactions in BC and can be helpful when answering questions about purchases, scams, collection calls, and product returns. You can keyword search the site, check out their Consumer Tips, or browse by topic. 

Consumer & Debt Law Wikibook:

This plain language manual was created by People’s Law School as a tool for advocates and legal professionals, but its accessible language and practical format, makes it a great resource for anyone dealing with consumer or debt issues, including contracts, purchases, borrowing money, being in debt, legal actions and going to court.                          

People’s Law School’s Consumer Law collection:

'Work it Out’ pages walk users step-by-step through dealing with consumer issues related to cellphones, contracts, scams and identity theft, and more. They also provide template letters to help people draft legal documents. The “Need to Know” pages highlight key information in a clear question and answer format.

Civil Resolution Tribunal:

This online tribunal resolves small claims up to $5000, as well as motor vehicle injury disputes, strata property disputes, societies’ and cooperative associations’ disputes of any amount. It can also deal with matters regarding the nonconsensual sharing of intimate images. The website has information and guides about applying and procedures.

Small Claims BC:

Small Claims Court (the name of the Provincial Civil Court in BC) deals with civil court matters seeking claims between $5001 and $35000. This website walks you through the process of starting or replying to a Small Claims suit, the court procedures, and how to collect money awarded by the court or appeal a judgment. It has links to the Small Claims Court Forms, some of which can be filled out online through the Small Claims Filing Assistant.

Supreme Court BC Online Help Guide: Civil Law:

This website provides those representing themselves in court with procedural help. The information is also available in downloadable PDFs which can be printed for patrons.

Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre (TRAC)

This resource is a great starting point for all things tenancy law, including signing tenancy agreements, paying rent, rent increases, repairs to the rental unit, evictions, and dispute resolution. TRAC’s Template Letters provide starting points that patrons can edit and use to communicate with their landlord. TRAC also operates the Tenant Infoline which provides tenants across BC with free legal information and referrals.

Tenant Survival Guide

Produced by TRAC, this Clicklaw Wikibook provides similar information to what is available on their main website. The pages of this Wikibook can be easily printed for patrons who would prefer print options.

British Columbia Residential Tenancies

This government resource includes information on many aspects of residential tenancies, including dispute resolution guides, changes to tenancy laws, starting and ending tenancies, and information for new landlords. This resource also provides the basic Tenancy Agreement Form, as well as other forms that may be needed during a tenancy, such as a Notice of Rent Increase.

Clicklaw:

A digital service of Courthouse Libraries BC which links to reliable, BC-specific legal resources for the public. You can browse by legal topic or search by keyword to find resources. Clicklaw also features Common Questions, which are resource rich starting points to begin your research. To make referrals, you can use the Services tab to find local or province wide legal help providers. 

Clicklaw Wikibooks:

These online plain language Wikibooks are written collaboratively by lawyers and advocates. All information is reviewed for accuracy and currency. You can use the Table of Contents of each Wikibook to search for information and download, save, or print desired sections of each book.

People’s Law School:

A source of plain language, practical information on civil law issues such as dealing with property or neighbors, employment and benefit issues, drafting or probating a will, and much more. Content is framed around people’s experiences or questions: The Q & A section provides answers written by legal professionals in plain language. For each topic area “Need to Know” pages highlight important information and tips, and “Work it Out” pages provide step-by-step guidance on dealing with legal issues. They also produce publications available in print or online formats.

Dial-a-Law:

Offers broad overviews of legal information on a variety of legal topics, including consumer law, businesses, employment, family law, human rights, wills and estates, resolving disputes, court access, youth and the law, and legal aid. Users can search by topic or keyword.