If you don’t qualify for Legal Aid and if you cannot afford to hire a lawyer to act for you, you still might want to consider consulting with one. Public Legal Information Association (PLIAN) of NL offers a lawyer referral service. The number in St. John’s is 709-722-2643 or 1-888-660-7788 (toll free).
- Persons who contact PLIAN’s Lawyer Referral Service may receive a referral to a participating lawyer for an initial, 30-minute consultation at a flat cost of $40 (tax included).
- The initial consultation is for summary legal advice only, and there is no expectation that legal work will be completed or legal representation take place during that time.
- The lawyer is not obligated to take on the person’s case after the 30-minute consultation and the client is not obligated to retain the lawyer for further legal work.
- If there is a conflict or if the lawyer is otherwise unavailable to provide the consultation, the person can contact PLIAN again to receive another referral.
Please note that in-person service is available by appointment only.
Representing yourself can take a considerable amount of time, effort, and patience. You will be responsible for learning about and following the procedures that guide the court process. This is not something that you can learn overnight or by speaking with someone for a few minutes. You will need to take the time to read and research, as well as prepare documents.
There is more information about finding legal information and advice here.