This site provides legal information, education and help for British Columbians. Clicklaw is operated by the Courthouse Libraries BC as part of their mission to improve public access to legal information.
Explains how to find legal information in British Columbia. It also provides links to many more self-help resources and guides. This guide is a starting point and is not meant to be exhaustive. It explains the law and legal procedures in general, and is not intended to give legal advice on your particular legal problem.
The BC Courthouse Library Society operates a province-wide system of 51 courthouse libraries. This site allows access to their catalogue which lists the resources available in these libraries. Also links to a full range of legal information services.
Dial-A-Law is a library of legal information prepared by lawyers. It offers general information on a variety of topics on law in British Columbia. Dial-A-Law is a free service that is available in English, Chinese and Punjabi by telephone and on the Internet. Dial-A-Law is funded by the Law Foundation of British Columbia and is operated by the Canadian Bar Association British Columbia Branch (CBABC).
Established in 1989 as the Law Courts Education Society, the Justice Education Society is dedicated to improving access to the justice system through hands-on, targeted, two-way education between the public and those working in the system. This non-profit organization with ongoing public and private sector financial and volunteer support offers a unique and comprehensive collection of justice-related educational services and effectively work towards creating a justice system that is accessible to all.
An independent, non-profit, non-partisan society, whose goal is to provide all British Columbians with reliable legal information through public education programs, and a variety of services. The People's Law School has published many excellent booklets which are available through links on their site.
Sponsored by the Federation of Law Societies, this site provides links to legal information (statutes, regulations, courts) for Canada, all 10 provinces and 3 territories. Includes a search engine to links collections.
Developed jointly by the Legal Information Institutes (LIIS) around the world. Provides links to the legal information of Australia, Canada, East Timor, England, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, the Pacific Islands, Scotland, South Africa, United Kingdom and Wales.
Parliament of Canada. An essential research tool for finding information on legislation currently before Parliament and for tracking the progress of Canadian Federal Bills.
This database allows you to search for the meaning of abbreviations for English language legal publications, from the British Isles, the Commonwealth and the United States, including those covering international and comparative law.
A wide selection of major foreign language law publications is also included. Publications from over 295 jurisdictions are featured in the Index.
The database mainly covers law reports and law periodicals but some other legal publications are also included. The Index is under continuous development with new abbreviations and titles being added on a regular basis.
Evaluating Websites
Anyone can publish on the internet. Always evaluate a website to make sure it is a reliable and authoritative source.
Ask yourself these questions:
Authority
Is the author/producer easy to identify?
Are the author's credentials listed?
Is the author's affiliation easy to determine (e.g. university, government)
Content
Are there errors or discrepancies on the site?
Is the content appropriate for your needs?
Is there sufficient coverage of the topic?
Currency
Can you find the date that the site was created?
Was the site updated recently?
Do the links on the site work?
Objectivity
Is the information factual or opinion?
Is the site trying to sell something that seems too good to be true?
Is the information consistent with other sources you’ve found?
