Gaining in popularity, legal coaching is an unbundled legal service that allows you to hire a legal helper to do a specific job for you. With Legal Aid services chronically underfunded and the average cost for a lawyer steadily increasing, it is no wonder more and more people are representing … [Read more...]
How PLEI Resources Can (and Cannot) Help Self-Represented People
Reliable and current public legal education and information (PLEI) resources can help self-represented people prevent and resolve legal problems in many situations. What is PLEI? PLEI stands for public legal education and information. While it may seem self-explanatory, one description of what is … [Read more...]
Do you need legal information? Start at Alberta Law Libraries
Alberta Law Libraries offer guidance and free access to legal materials and forms. If you are dealing with a legal problem, or if you need to appear in court and do not have a lawyer, you are welcome to visit Alberta Law Libraries for assistance and free access to legal materials. Understanding the … [Read more...]
Regulating Paralegals in Alberta
The Alberta Association of Professional Paralegals is advocating for regulation of paralegals and is already working to develop quality education programs. In response to the growing access to justice issue in Alberta, legal stakeholders are trying to figure out what they can do to ease the … [Read more...]
Defending Your Workplace Rights in Alberta Can Be More Difficult Than It Should Be
The Workers' Resource Centre sees common scenarios where workers do not understand their rights and options, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. For someone experiencing legal issues in the workplace for the first time, navigating the system for information and help can be a dauting task. … [Read more...]
Assisting the Client Living with the Effects of Serious Mental Illness
What are the challenges involved when working with clients living with psychotic illnesses, and what is some practical advice for their lawyers and advocates? I was asked to write an article on the challenges that those experiencing mental illnesses face when engaging with the legal system. What … [Read more...]
Working with Clients Who Have Experienced Family Violence: Being client-centered and trauma-informed
Calgary Legal Guidance's Domestic Violence Family Law program is constantly learning and growing to better hear, understand and serve its clients. Calgary Legal Guidance (CLG) is a non-profit organization offering a range of legal services to those who cannot easily access Legal Aid or other paid … [Read more...]
Access to Justice During COVID-19 and the Jordan Case
How are delays in court processes due to COVID-19 considered when assessing the Jordan time limits for the right to be tried within a reasonable time? In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Since then, the pandemic has affected the functioning of many … [Read more...]
Celebrating 50 Years of Pro Bono in Alberta
Calgary Legal Guidance started in 1972 through the work of law students wanting to help people experiencing poverty and homelessness in the city. A half century ago, a group of law students decided to do something to help the many people experiencing poverty and homelessness in Calgary, Alberta. … [Read more...]
Know Your Rights: A CNIB advocacy project
Providing resources about discrimination for partially-sighted, blind and Deafblind individuals in Ontario, the project is now growing nationally. About CNIB CNIB is a non-profit organization driven to change what it is to be blind today. We deliver innovative programs and powerful advocacy that … [Read more...]