It’s a good idea to talk to a lawyer before you decide how you’ll plead (guilty or not guilty), or whether you’ll choose to explore other options. A lawyer can explain any options and help you understand your legal documents.

Even if you’ve been denied legal aid, you can get some free legal advice. The following help may be available to you.

• Duty counsel: If you don’t have your own lawyer, see when duty counsel will be at the courthouse where you’re charged. Duty counsel are lawyers who can give you free brief advice before your trial. When available, they can give you advice about the charges against you, court procedures, and your legal rights. They can’t give advice on how to run your trial or help you at your trial. They can speak on your behalf the first time you appear in court, but can’t act as your permanent lawyer. Usually, they’ll be available on your scheduled court dates. 
  • Call Legal Aid BC at 604-408-2172 (Greater Vancouver) or 1-866-577-2525 (elsewhere in BC), or your local courthouse to find out when duty counsel will be there. (See the Provincial Court of BC website for links to courthouse locations.)
• Lawyer Referral Service: You can get the name of a local lawyer to talk to for half an hour for free, to briefly describe your issue and find out whether they can help you. You can find out what they’d charge if you need more help and decide whether you want to hire them. Call 604-687-3221 (Greater Vancouver) or 1-800-663-1919 (elsewhere in BC).
• Access Pro Bono clinics: You can also get brief legal help from pro bono (free) clinics. Call 604-878-7400 (Greater Vancouver) or 1-877-762-6664 (elsewhere in BC).
• BC First Nations Justice Council: If you’re Indigenous, you can access legal services, including justice centres and a Gladue program. Call 1-877-602-4858.
• Native Courtworker and Counselling Association of BC (NCCABC): If you’re Indigenous, NCCABC may be able to help you get legal information and a lawyer. Call 604-985-5355 (Greater Vancouver) or 1-877-811-1190 (elsewhere in BC).
• UBC Indigenous Community Legal Clinic:  If you’re Indigenous and can’t afford a lawyer, you can get free legal help. Call 604-822-5421 (Greater Vancouver). 
• Law Centre: If you live in Victoria, the Law Centre may be able to help you. For information, call 250-385-1221.
• Law Students’ Legal Advice Program (LSLAP): If you live in Greater Vancouver, you may be able to get help from LSLAP. You can get legal advice or assistance from LSLAP if you’re charged with a summary offence and the Crown prosecutor isn’t asking for a jail sentence if you’re found guilty. Call 604-822-5791 to find the location of the nearest LSLAP clinic.
• TRU Community Legal Clinic, Kamloops: If you live in Kamloops, you can get free legal help and advice in a range of areas if you can’t afford a lawyer. Call 778-471-8490.
• Private practice lawyer: You can contact a lawyer in private practice for specific advice on how to handle your own case. Find out if the lawyer is willing to help and what it’ll cost. One or two meetings with a private lawyer may cost less than hiring a lawyer to run your entire trial.

This resource tells you what will happen before your trial and what will happen at your trial.

Before your trial explains:

• how to get the information that you’ll need for your trial,
• who the people in the courtroom are and what they do, and
• the court procedures that will take place before your trial (your first appearance and arraignment hearing).

See Checklist: Before your trial to make sure that you’re ready for trial. See Appendix 1 for a chart to help you understand the court procedures that will take place before your trial.

At your trial explains:

• the seven steps in every criminal trial, and
• what you need to do during your trial.

See Checklist: At your trial to make sure that you do everything you need to do at your trial. Also use this checklist to see whether the prosecutor has proven all the necessary parts of the charge against you.

See Appendix 2 for a chart to help you understand the steps that will happen during your trial.

Take the time and make the effort to get as much information as you can so that you’ll be able to represent yourself in the best way possible. For more information about the law, you can go to the library or look online. The website click​law​.bc​.ca is a great place to start. This website connects you to information on legal topics, including criminal law. It also has toll-free numbers for legal help.

You can also see the Defending Yourself series on what to do if you’re charged with one of the following:

• Assault
• Breach of a court order
• Mischief
• Possession of an illegal drug
• Possession of property under $5,000 obtained by crime
• Theft under $5,000

Note: At any time, a legal advocate can help you. Find a local organization using Clicklaw’s HelpMap.

At any stage, you can ask for an interpreter to assist you in any language, including American Sign Language.

You can also ask to have your trial conducted in French and ask for the important documents related to your case to be translated into French. Make your request as early as possible, preferably at your first appearance. (See First [or ​“initial”] appearance for more information on what happens at your first appearance.)

Court Services Online is an online court registry for all BC Provincial Courts. You can look up your charge(s), court dates, and related information. Start by selecting Search Traffic/​Criminal and click Participant Name.