Meeting with a Journey Project lawyer

THIS RESOURCE PROVIDES INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN MEETING WITH A Journey Project LAWYER. IT ANSWERS SOME COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROCESS AND INCLUDES A LIST OF RELEVANT TERMS LAWYERS USE.

Through our Sexual Violence Legal Support Service, the Journey Project connects survivors with lawyers who can offer free legal advice. Meeting with a lawyer can be intimidating and overwhelming, especially for the first time. If you have more questions or would like some support during this process, you are welcome and encouraged to contact us at The Journey Project.

Things to know about The Journey Project Lawyers

Lawyers who participate in the Journey Project do so voluntarily. They have completed at least three hours of trauma-informed training with the Journey Project team.
If you meet with a lawyer through the Journey Project, you are the client. The lawyer will act in your best interests and answer your questions.
All conversations with the lawyer are confidential, except where there is a legal duty to report.

To connect with a lawyer, reach out to The Journey Project:

CALL 1-833-722-2805
TEXT 1-709-986-2811
EMAIL support@journeyprojectnl.com

Contacting the Lawyer's Office

You will need to connect with a Legal Support Navigator at the Journey Project to get matched with a lawyer on our roster. You can contact a Legal Support Navigator at support@journeyprojectnl.com or 1-833-722-2805.
The Legal Support Navigator will provide you with contact information for a lawyer and a referral certificate number.
You can contact the lawyer’s office directly to schedule an appointment or ask your Legal Support Navigator to connect you.
The lawyer will ask you for your referral certificate number.
If you would like to bring along a support person, ask if that is ok.
Mention any accessibility or accommodation requests you may have.
Make a note of when and where your appointment will take place. If you are calling from outside the province, remember to clarify the time for your time zone.
If you need to change or cancel your appointment, let the lawyer know in advance.

Preparing for your appointment

Write down any questions you have so you do not forget them. Leave some space to write the lawyer’s answers to your questions.
The lawyer may have to ask you difficult or invasive questions about what happened. You should answer these questions as completely and truthfully as you can. Remember that the lawyer wants to help you and will not judge what you tell them.
The lawyer may ask you for proof of identity (e.g. a driver’s licence, MCP card).

The lawyer may want to know

Information about your personal life and background.
If you have spoken to any other lawyers about this incident.
If the accused has spoken to any lawyers.
If there were any witnesses to the incident(s).
What your goals are.

Consider bringing

The police report number (if you have filed a report).
Any court documents you have from previous or ongoing legal actions related to the incident(s).
Any notes you have taken or other documents related to the incident(s). This could include information on doctor or hospital visits, a copy of your report to police, or messages from the accused person(s).

The Lawyer can provide information on:

What your rights are.
Possible limitation periods to consider.
Whether or not you have a case and what results you can expect.
How long things might take.
Next steps.

Related Definitions

Below are some relevant terms lawyers use. If you do not understand something the lawyer is saying, ask them to explain it differently. You can also reach out to The Journey Project for help.

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