Free Legal Help for Family Violence and Protection Orders in BC

If you are dealing with family violence, you may be worried about your safety and about money at the same time. Hiring a lawyer can feel out of reach, but several free services in British Columbia are built for exactly this situation.

This article explains the main options: Family Law Centres, Family Justice Centres and Justice Access Centres. It also covers how protection orders work and other ways to pay for help. If you are in immediate danger, contact police. This is general information, not legal advice.

This article covers the law of British Columbia.

Family Law Centres: free help for survivors

Family Law Centres are law clinics funded by the Province and delivered by Legal Aid BC. They give free, trauma-informed legal help to family violence survivors who cannot afford a lawyer.

To be eligible, you must be experiencing family violence and have at least one additional eligible legal issue. Parenting arrangements, meaning getting an initial parenting order or changing one, became an eligible issue as of June 22, 2026.

The centres prioritize survivors who have fled an abusive partner within the past six months. This is a priority, not a general waiver, so it does not mean everyone else is excluded or that there is no wait or eligibility check. Common issues include protection orders, denial of parenting time, child support, spousal support, property division and divorce.

Family Justice Centres and Justice Access Centres

Family Justice Centres offer free services to parents and other family members dealing with separation or divorce. They help with parenting arrangements, guardianship, child and spousal support, contact with a child, and property division for a companion animal.

You can reach them Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, at 1-844-747-3963. Telephone and video conference services are available for families separated by distance. Justice Access Centres also offer free family justice services.

• A needs assessment, legal information and referrals for advice.
• Referrals to community agencies and safety referrals, such as VictimLinkBC or police.
• Referral to the BC Family Maintenance Agency if child support is not being received.
• A free Parenting After Separation course and information on Provincial Court processes.

Some referred services are based on financial need, so you may be asked about income. Whether you can get lawyer advice at a Family Justice Centre depends on your situation, and staff otherwise refer you elsewhere.

How protection orders work

A court may make a protection order on application by a family member claiming to be at risk, by a person acting on that member's behalf, or on its own initiative. It does not need to be part of any other court proceeding. The test is that family violence is likely to occur and the other person is an at-risk family member.

The court must consider risk factors, including history of family violence, whether it is repetitive or escalating, recent separation, substance abuse, access to weapons, your own perception of risk, and vulnerability such as pregnancy or economic dependence. If a child is a family member, the court must also consider whether the child may be exposed to family violence and whether an order should also be made for the child.

Unless the court orders otherwise, a protection order expires one year after the date it is made. Protection orders may only be made by the court that has the case, so if a Supreme Court order is already in place, the application belongs in Supreme Court. A lawyer or Family Law Centre can confirm the right court and the steps.

Mediation, safety and family violence

Family justice counsellors are accredited mediators. They can provide information about a family law dispute, family dispute resolution on guardianship, parenting arrangements, contact with a child and child and spousal support, and referrals. Child support disputes can use facilitated negotiation with a child support officer.

Family dispute resolution professionals must assess whether family violence may be present and, if so, consider how it may affect your safety and your ability to negotiate a fair agreement. If mediation is not suitable, staff help with next steps or referrals. Tell the professional about any violence at the start.

The Online Divorce Assistant only works where both spouses agree on all issues, so it is generally not a fit if there is a safety concern or disagreement. Early Resolution Registries in the Vancouver Coastal, Vancouver Fraser, Vancouver Island and Interior regions require specific steps before a Provincial Court family case proceeds.

Other ways to fund legal help

If you are in a property-division dispute, the Supreme Court may order an interim distribution of family property to fund family dispute resolution, all or part of a proceeding, or gathering information or evidence, if it would not harm the other spouse's interests and is necessary for one of those purposes. This is made only by the Supreme Court, only from family property at issue in property division, and is not a general costs order.

Part 10 of the Family Law Act has no general costs provision, though it has narrower expense provisions, such as allocating children's lawyer fees among the parties.

Another option is unbundling, where a lawyer does only part of your matter and you decide together which tasks each of you will do. The Law Society of BC developed a Family Unbundled Legal Services toolkit with Mediate BC, including sample retainer agreements, available through Courthouse Libraries BC. Income limits for Legal Aid BC and pro bono programs change, so confirm them directly.

What to do next

• If you are in danger now, call police. VictimLinkBC is one safety referral Family Justice Centres use.
• Contact a Family Law Centre through Legal Aid BC and ask whether you qualify.
• Call a Family Justice Centre at 1-844-747-3963 on a weekday between 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM.
• Write down incidents with dates, and keep messages, photos and any existing orders in a safe place.
• Note whether a court order already exists, since that affects where a protection order is applied for.
• Ask a lawyer about your specific situation before deciding on court steps.

Frequently asked questions