
July 23, 2008
Enhanced legal aid phone services A new telephone triage project at LSS is expected to improve service for people who use telephone-based legal aid services. The project’s objectives are to reduce wait times and dropped calls for LawLINE, enhance services for clients with family and civil law issues, improve access to legal services, and better match clients and staff based on service needs and expertise. Now when people phone the LSS Call Centre and LawLINE, staff will assess callers' needs and refer them to the services most appropriate to their situations, including legal information outreach workers, LawLINE, and family duty counsel. Once the triage system is up and running smoothly, LSS plans to expand the project to include brief advice by external telephone advice lawyers, who will log on to the LawLINE queues from remote locations. To reach the LSS Call Centre/LawLINE service, phone 604-408-2172 (in the Lower Mainland) or 1-866-577-2525 (toll free). For information about what kinds of issues LawLINE handles, check the LSS website. LSS received a Law Foundation grant to support this project. Multilingual self-help guides on serving documents New multilingual self-help guides on serving documents outside BC are now available on the Family Law in BC website (see "Quick links" on the right side of the screen). The guides were created to help prevent process errors for Affidavits for family law matters served by friends or relatives of BC residents on their spouses in other provinces or countries. The BC Supreme Court Self-Information Centre found many of its visitors were frustrated that after they'd gone to the time, trouble, and expense of having the documents served and the Affidavit completed and sworn, they had to send the documents back again to be processed correctly. LSS created the guides in response to this need. The guide is available in Chinese (traditional), English, Spanish, Punjabi, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Russian and Farsi versions are nearing completion. E-mail us and let us know what you think! Featured case: unlawful seizure of van A woman and her husband were in arrears on the lease payments for their van when it was repossessed by a bailiff company. The woman phoned LawLINE to get help and described the lease agreement as a lease-to-own arrangement with little left to be repaid. The woman used the van to transport her elderly mother (who is in a wheelchair) and to get to and from work. After several discussions with the woman and reviewing the lease, LawLINE staff drafted an opinion letter outlining the 2/3 Rule under the Personal Property Security Act. Based on the woman's information and the lease document itself, it was likely that the van was unlawfully seized. The woman contacted the bailiff company and explained the advice she had received from LawLINE. The van was returned to the caller the next day, and a payment plan for the remaining $839 was to be negotiated with the leasing company. To find out more about LawLINE, go to the LSS website. Also see the FAQ page for answers to common questions recieved by staff, and the LawLINE Blog. Dial-A-Law expands service to include audio scripts Dial-A-Law isn't just a phone service anymore. This free library of plain-language legal information is now also available in digital audio format on the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch website. People can listen (in English) via their computer or by downloading the audio to an mp3 player. Of course you can still dial up the scripts (in English and Mandarin Chinese) at 604-687-4680 in the Lower Mainland or 1-800-565-5297 in the rest of BC, or read the scripts online in English (choose from topics listed on the left side of the screen), Chinese (simplified), or Punjabi. With more than 127 legal topics to choose from, the Dial-A-Law service is a convenient and easy way for the public to learn about the law and their rights as residents of British Columbia.

July 23, 2008

Enhanced legal aid phone services

A new telephone triage project at LSS is expected to improve service for people who use telephone-based legal aid services.

The project’s objectives are to reduce wait times and dropped calls for LawLINE, enhance services for clients with family and civil law issues, improve access to legal services, and better match clients and staff based on service needs and expertise.

Now when people phone the LSS Call Centre and LawLINE, staff will assess callers' needs and refer them to the services most appropriate to their situations, including legal information outreach workers, LawLINE, and family duty counsel.

Once the triage system is up and running smoothly, LSS plans to expand the project to include brief advice by external telephone advice lawyers, who will log on to the LawLINE queues from remote locations.

To reach the LSS Call Centre/LawLINE service, phone 604-408-2172 (in the Lower Mainland) or 1-866-577-2525 (toll free).

For information about what kinds of issues LawLINE handles, check the LSS website.

LSS received a Law Foundation grant to support this project.

Multilingual self-help guides on serving documents

New multilingual self-help guides on serving documents outside BC are now available on the Family Law in BC website (see "Quick links" on the right side of the screen). The guides were created to help prevent process errors for Affidavits for family law matters served by friends or relatives of BC residents on their spouses in other provinces or countries.

The BC Supreme Court Self-Information Centre found many of its visitors were frustrated that after they'd gone to the time, trouble, and expense of having the documents served and the Affidavit completed and sworn, they had to send the documents back again to be processed correctly. LSS created the guides in response to this need.

The guide is available in Chinese (traditional), English, Spanish, Punjabi, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Russian and Farsi versions are nearing completion.

E-mail us and let us know what you think!

Featured case: unlawful seizure of van

A woman and her husband were in arrears on the lease payments for their van when it was repossessed by a bailiff company. The woman phoned LawLINE to get help and described the lease agreement as a lease-to-own arrangement with little left to be repaid. The woman used the van to transport her elderly mother (who is in a wheelchair) and to get to and from work.

After several discussions with the woman and reviewing the lease, LawLINE staff drafted an opinion letter outlining the 2/3 Rule under the Personal Property Security Act. Based on the woman's information and the lease document itself, it was likely that the van was unlawfully seized.

The woman contacted the bailiff company and explained the advice she had received from LawLINE. The van was returned to the caller the next day, and a payment plan for the remaining $839 was to be negotiated with the leasing company.

To find out more about LawLINE, go to the LSS website. Also see the FAQ page for answers to common questions recieved by staff, and the LawLINE Blog.

Dial-A-Law expands service to include audio scripts

Dial-A-Law isn't just a phone service anymore. This free library of plain-language legal information is now also available in digital audio format on the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch website. People can listen (in English) via their computer or by downloading the audio to an mp3 player. Of course you can still dial up the scripts (in English and Mandarin Chinese) at 604-687-4680 in the Lower Mainland or 1-800-565-5297 in the rest of BC, or read the scripts online in English (choose from topics listed on the left side of the screen), Chinese (simplified), or Punjabi.

With more than 127 legal topics to choose from, the Dial-A-Law service is a convenient and easy way for the public to learn about the law and their rights as residents of British Columbia.