Meeting with a Journey Project lawyer

Explains the law and the legal system in general terms. The information is not tailored to a specific case and does not offer an opinion or advice about what a client should or should not do in a particular situation or case.

• Can be provided by many different people, including lawyers, court clerks, librarians, government workers, etc.
• Showing people how to search for statutes, case law, articles, and forms.
  – “You can find an EPO form online at…”
• Outlining possible options for dealing with a legal problem or alternatives to court
  – “Your options are…but you must decide what to do”
  – “There are other processes that you can look at instead of having to go to court. They are…”
• Explaining court processes and procedures
  – “Usually this is what happens in court…”
  – “An adjournment means that…”
• Providing samples of court forms and instructions; telling you if required sections of a form have been filled out
  – “I have marked the three places on this form where you have not yet filled in the required information…this section is asking…”

Applies the law, including statute and case law and legal principles to a particular situation. It provides recommendations about what course of action would best suit the facts of the case and what the person wants to achieve, it provides guidance on what to say during legal proceedings or what to write when filling out legal documents. Legal advice can only be provided by lawyers.

• Can only be provided by lawyers (or specially trained advocates or paralegals in some provinces or territories).
• Researching a point of law in-depth
  – “I’ve researched cases similar to yours and…”
• Recommending what steps someone should take and why
  – “I would recommend that you…because…”
• Guiding someone on what to say
  – “You should tell the judge about…”
• Filling out forms or telling you what to put in a form, e.g. specific people against whom to file pleadings or types or amount of damages to seek.
  – “In this section of the form we will ask for…in this section you should write…”