Duty Counsel: Criminal Law

A program of the Legal Services Society (LSS): www.lss.bc.ca.

If you can't get legal aid and you are charged with a crime, you may be able to get help from duty counsel.

Duty counsel are lawyers paid by the LSS to provide legal services to in- and out-of-custody accused people in Provincial Court.

Duty counsel can provide you with advice about the charges against you, court procedures, and your legal rights (including the right to counsel and the right to apply for legal aid).

Duty counsel can also represent you at a bail hearing, and, if there is time, help with a guilty plea. While you do not have to be financially eligible for legal aid to receive duty counsel services, you must meet LSS coverage and eligibility requirements to get a referral for ongoing representation.

In Vancouver, limited duty counsel services are available to people detained on immigration matters.

Available at local Courthouses on days when court is in session.