The clinics listed below provide free legal help, in the form of a half hour appointment with a lawyer, to those who qualify. Further information can be found on the LISNS website. See "Client Guidelines" for financial eligibility. This service is intended for those who make too much money to qualify for legal aid but do not make enough to retain a lawyer. Clients can book appointments using the online form located at "Book an Appointment".

April 3, 2014

Did you know that you can apply to Nova Scotia Legal Aid for advice and/or assistance if you have a legal issue related to one of the following areas? -

• Income Assistance
• Canada Pension Plan disability
• Residential Tenancies (landlord/tenant)
• Employment Insurance

For details please contact your local Nova Scotia Legal Aid office or click here.

Please be advised that due to the weather, the Parent Information Program at the Halifax Supreme Court (Family Division) for Wednesday, February 5th is cancelled.

To reschedule for the Parent Information Program, please call (902) 424-5232. You may have to leave a message. Please include your full name and contact number(s) in the message.

Families experiencing a particularly high level of conflict related to a separation or divorce can now access support which could help them resolve issues outside the court system.

Federal Justice Minister Peter MacKay announced $240,350 towards the High Conflict Information Program.  This program is a specialized justice service that will better respond to the needs of families in high-conflict separation or divorce.

Please be advised that due to the incoming storm, the following Halifax Supreme Court (Family Division) programs are cancelled:

Divorce Information Session, scheduled for Wednesday January 22nd, 2014 from 9 - 12 noon

Parent Information Program, scheduled for Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014 from 6 - 9 pm

Youth and family members in Nova Scotia can now call the country's first cyberbullying investigative unit for help. The unit's investigators started on September 30, 2013, and will begin taking calls and investigating complaints immediately.

Nova Scotians can call 242-6900 in Halifax Regional Municipality or toll-free at 855-702-8324 to talk to an investigator. A new website will have information to help people determine if they are being cyberbullied and outline available options.

The ongoing leadership of the Chief Justice of Canada Beverley McLachlin to raise issues relating to improving access to justice for all Canadians has done much to focus the attention and the energies of many who work within the justice system. The Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters has emerged as a voice for system wide improvements. The Action Committee is focused on fostering engagement, pursuing a strategic approach to reforms and coordinating the efforts of all participants concerned with civil justice.
 

The National Self-Represented Litigants Project (NSRLP) builds on the National Self-Represented Litigants (SRL’s) Research Study conducted by Dr. Julie Macfarlane from 2011-2013. The project takes its mandate from the Final Recommendations of the Research Report: 10 Actions Steps for the SRL Phenomenon.

In 2012, the Nova Scotia Department of Justice and Justice Canada entered into a project funding agreement to improve access to family justice online and to evaluate the implementation of the website during the 2012 – 2013 fiscal year.  The key objective of Nova Scotia’s Access to Family Law Online pilot project was to develop an online public legal information source, focused on family law.