PLEA gratefully acknowledges our primary core funder the Law Foundation of Saskatchewan for their continuing and generous support of our organization.
As with most other services, finding a lawyer in your area that can deal with your particular legal issue may involve some research.
The Law Society of Saskatchewan regulates the legal profession in Saskatchewan. It sets rules that lawyers must follow in order to practice law including advertising standards. Lawyers advertise their services in multiple ways including phone books and online. In Saskatchewan, lawyers are not permitted to advertise that they are a “specialist” or “expert” in a particular area of law without a recognized certification.
Lawyers can, however, use advertising to highlight their particular skills and knowledge. This can help a potential client choose a good match for their particular legal matter. Similarly, if they have a preferred area of practice or restrict their practice to certain areas, this also can be advertised.
You can search for lawyers using the Find Legal Assistance feature on the Law Society’s website. You can restrict your search by:
When you choose service models you can select options such as limited scope retainers or legal coaching. Using these types of services can be less expensive than full representation by a lawyer if you are able and willing to take on some the work yourself.
Some lawyers offer free or low-cost first appointments. These appointments can help you decide how to proceed and whether you want to continue to work with that lawyer.
Choosing a lawyer can be a difficult task, especially if you have never had to hire one before. The situations where you need a lawyer can often have a big impact on your life. Choosing a lawyer to represent you is therefore especially important.
Value is determined by quality as well as price. When choosing a lawyer, you need to strike a balance between the price you want to pay and the assurance you expect for a job well done.
There are many choices available and many ways to make the decision. Some people look through the yellow pages or online directories. Referrals or recommendations by friends can be a valuable resource. Carefully considering your choice will help ensure that you are happy with the services provided.
The price or cost of legal fees is an important consideration for many people. Certainly, no one wants to pay any more than they have to for anything, including legal services. However, it probably is useful to consider a few other factors, as well as the bottom line.
There are a number of different questions you can ask the lawyer...
If you cannot afford a lawyer, you may be eligible for Legal Aid. Legal Aid provides lawyers for very low-income people with criminal or family law problems. Your legal problem must be in one of those two areas. You must either be receiving social assistance or have an income that falls within the Legal Aid guidelines. If your income is slightly above the cut-off, you may still qualify although you will be required to contribute to the cost of services.
If you cannot afford a lawyer and you do not qualify for Legal Aid, you may be able to get legal help through Pro Bono Law Saskatchewan. In Saskatoon, CLASSIC may also be able to assist you.
The Law Society has a pilot project that allows certain non-lawyers to perform some specific legal tasks. For more information, visit The Limited Licensing Pilot Project.
PLEA offers free online training on preventing and addressing workplace harassment.