Need a Lawyer?

Need a Lawyer?

With the goal of promoting the better administration of justice and easier access to it, the Bar of Montreal, the Young Bar Association of Montreal, and Pro Bono Quebec, in collaboration with the Association des avocats de la défense de Montréal, the Direction des services judiciaires de la Métropole and the municipal court of Montreal has organized the following services for Montreal residents:

Referral service

This service, which covers all fields of law, is designed to provide the name of a lawyer willing to offer an initial half-hour consultation for a fixed fee. If additional legal services are needed, the client will have to agree with the lawyer on their scope and the fee to be paid for them.

(This service reserves the right to refuse a request made by someone who has already consulted a lawyer on the same issue.)

Pro Bono Quebec

This non-profit organization helps bring solutions to exceptional cases, matters of public interest or those in which irreparable harm could be done to a person or group of persons economically unable to assert their rights.

Requests accepted by the selection committee are referred to a lawyer who has contributed to the bank of free legal service hours.

Rue Sherbrooke in Montreal. Photo by Elena

Service in Preparation for a Hearing

This free service is intended to help people become acquainted with the procedures for a hearing held before the Small Claims Court, the Rental Board or the Labour Relations Commission and to prepare their case.

Available only by appointment and for parties who have already received a notice of hearing, the consultations take place weekdays from noon to 2 p.m. At the Montreal Courthouse.

Pro Bono Legal Information Service in Municipal Court of Montreal (LIS)

Offered as a pilot project only to persons who have bee referred by the Court, the LIS offers assistance to accused not represented by an attorney before the municipal court of Montreal in criminal matters, and penal matters having significant legal consequences (i.e. Failure to stop at the scene of an accident, excessive speeding offenses, pursuant the Quebec Highway Safety Act).

A briefing lasts a maximum of 30 minutes, limited to legal information provided by the attorney who is on duty at any step of the file before the Court after the initial appearance.

A person is entitled to not more than one information session involving the same Court case. If the services of a lawyer are further required, other arrangements will have to be secured by the individual, as those fully described in this text.

Legal Duty Counsel Service (LDCS)

LDCS only offers assistance to persons not represented by a lawyer who have been referred by the Court.

A briefing lasting a maximum of 30 minutes, limited to providing basic legal information, is given by the lawyer who is on duty. As part of this briefing, the lawyer cannot address the opposing party or the Court in the place of the person seeking help. Because use of LDCS is limited to a single briefing per case, if the services of a lawyer are further required, other resources will have to be sought, including those described in this text.

Available on Court referral only.

Limited scope services

Offered to those with limited financial means but not eligible for Legal Aid who wish to represent themselves, limited scope services offer access to a lawyer within the limits of their budget for one aspect of their case (review of documents already drafted, preparation of a motion, assistance in completing the appropriate forms, help in preparing a case or representation during the trial).

To find a lawyer willing to offer services of this kind, simply contact the Referral Service of the Bar of Montreal.