Family Law Advocacy
The Family Law Advocacy Program consists of professionally trained staff who assist eligible low-income clients with family law issues.
Areas of Service
- Uncontested divorce applications
- Separation information
- Spousal/child support orders
- Guardianship/parental responsibilities
- Parenting time/decision-making responsibilities
- Child protection matters
- Protection orders
- Division of assets/debt (under $30,000)
Eligibility
- Two hours of assistance (including intake) available regardless of income
- Client assets should be $20,000 or less, but we have discretion to be flexible – please contact us for more information
- For further service, client income must be less than the following rates:
| Family Size | Yearly Before-Tax Income Cut-Off |
| 1 | $53,852 |
| 2 | $67,038 |
| 3 | $82,416 |
| 4 | $100,064 |
| 5 | $113,488 |
| 6 | $128,000 |
| 7 | $142,508 |
(Amounts are double the limits from Statistics Canada’s Low Income Cut Off table (for population 100,000 to 499,999))
Advocates cannot assist where a conflict of interest is deemed to exist
Levels of Service
- Intake/identifying necessary legal assistance
- Referrals, including to Consensual Dispute Resolution (CDR) services
- Information/research tips/self-advocacy guidance
- Help understanding legal advice from lawyers
- Assistance with summaries/memoranda/forms/document preparation
- Court accompaniment for service and facility navigation/emotional support
- Advocates cannot represent clients in court or give legal advice