Legal Referral Service
The Legal Referral Service connects a person with a disability, who has a legal question, with a volunteer lawyer who will provide a free one-hour consultation for some legal advice.
The Legal Referral Service connects a person with a disability, who has a legal question, with a volunteer lawyer who will provide a free, one-hour consultation for some legal advice. The volunteer lawyers that participate in this service are not obligated to represent a client. They are also not obligated to perform any other services for free – only one or two hours of legal advice for the question that the client asked during their intake with the Legal Services Coordinator at reachAbility Association.
Clients DO have the option to retain a lawyer, after their consultation; however, that decision is made between the client and the volunteer lawyer, as the lawyer will discuss costs associated with taking on the matter, at that time.
The client’s legal situation does not have to relate to a disability and can be on any legal matter. The client must be a resident of Nova Scotia, who self identifies with a disability, to be eligible for the Legal Referral Service. This service is also available to small business owners that are operating business within the Province of Nova Scotia.
A referral is specifically for a client who has not had legal advice about his or her matter. A client is allowed a maximum of two referrals per year, but each referral MUST be about separate legal matters.
If the Legal Services Coordinator feels that the client’s situation could be better resolved through another agency, the client will be referred to an agency that would be best suited to help them meet their needs. Typical reasons for referring a client to another agency would be:
- The client’s situation is not a legal one.
- The client’s situation is a legal matter, but the client is looking for more than an hour consultation.
- The Client has already seen a lawyer about this specific legal matter.
Our (Free!) Plain Language Form Filling Clinics Are Back!
Join us on Fridays between 1pm and 5pm at Alderney Gate Public Library (60 Alderney Drive) and Halifax North Memorial Library (2285 Gottingen Street) for our free form filling clinics! Bring any form that does not have to be filed with the courts and our volunteers from Pro Bono Dalhousie will explain it all in plain English, help you fill it out, and answer any questions you may have.
In need of legal advice?
For more resources, or to contact our Legal Services Coordinator, fill out our Legal Referral Form:
Want to become a volunteer lawyer?
If you’re a lawyer looking to volunteer with reachAbility, please fill out the Volunteer Referral Form:
