Free legal helpline this weekend
The Young Bar of Montreal (YBM) is offering free legal advice this weekend. Between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. this coming Saturday and Sunday, more than 100 volunteer lawyers and notaries from the non-profit organization will provide free legal advice by telephone to citizens all over the province.
“Part of our mission is to support access to justice,” said Sophia M. Rossi, President of the YBM and a graduate of the University of Sherbrooke, explaining that this spring edition will mark the 30th time in its 120 year history that the organization will offer the telephone service. “The legal helpline is a way to make justice more accessible to citizens.”
Although the phone service is a long standing tradition of the YBM, Rossi said that it is only through a partnership with the Young Bar of Quebec, the Barreau du Québec, and the Centre d'accès à l'information Juridique (CAIJ) that it has become an annual event.
In terms of subjects, nothing is off limits. The YBM President said that the organization works to have volunteers available who can answer any legal question in English or in French.
“We have lawyers and notaries that are specialized in all areas of law,” Rossi said, explaining that while someone might call with a question outside of the
immediate expertise of one of the available experts, the YBM has a membership of more than 5,000 to draw upon. “What we will do is take down the name and phone number and we will get a lawyer or notary specialized in that field to call them back.”
In 2016 the help line was able to respond to 1,000 legal questions. That increased to 1,500 in the fall of 2017, and Rossi said that the hope this year is to be able to offer answers to 2,000 people over the course of the weekend.
“We are currently pursuing our efforts of offering as many free legal services as possible on a regular basis,” the president added. “These are necessary endeavours that contribute to improving access to justice."
In addition to the help line, Rossi said that the YBM offers a variety of services throughout the province, ranging from the “I’ll talk to my lawyer on Wednesday,” program that provides young people aged 12 to 20 years old access to a free phone consultation with a lawyer between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. every Wednesday, to a legal consultation service for those looking to start their own company. The group also provides an information service at the Montreal municipal court as well as mediation and hearing preparations services for people not represented by a lawyer at small claims court on the island of Montreal.
The YBM help line number is 1 844 779-6232. More information about the Young Bar of Montreal is available at www.ajbm.qc.ca/en/.