Need a lawyer?

*************

Please note that the Referral Service will be closed from December 21, 2024, to January 5, 2025, inclusive. We will return to our regular schedule on January 6.

During that time, we suggest you use the following external resources on the Barreau du Québec’s Website: barreau.qc.ca/en/general-public/access-justice/referral-services and www.barreau.qc.ca/en/find-a-lawyer.

*************

The purpose of the Referral service is to provide means whereby persons, who are able to afford legal services or are admissible to legal aid but do not know a lawyer, may be referred to a member of the Bar who is registered in the Service and who is willing to give a preliminary hour consultation for a nominal fee of $60.

The service is provided by members of The Barreau de Montréal, whose experience covers all phases of legal work. Should any additional legal services be required because you decide to pursue the matter, and if it does not involve a legal aid mandate, you will then have to make your own arrangements with the lawyer regarding the mandate and the payment of the honorarium.

Contact the Referral Service:

reference@barreaudemontreal.qc.ca

By phone (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to noon): 514 866-2490

To be referred to a lawyer in Montreal/Procedure:

• Clients requiring the services of a lawyer provide their contact information and describe the nature of their problem. They should also mention whether they have already made use of the Referral Service.
• The Service reserves the right to refuse a request, especially if the person has already consulted a lawyer through the Service on the same matter or if the person has shown inappropriate conduct.
• The Service provides the client with all the necessary information to contact a lawyer who meets the desired criteria, and the lawyer selected will receive an e-mail with the client’s name and the details of his request.
• The client is given only one referral to meet his request. It is the client’s responsibility to contact the referred lawyer.
• The client must pay the cost of the consultation to the lawyer or go through the procedure for obtaining a legal aid mandate prior to the consultation, if the client is eligible for legal aid.
• The client must deal personally with the lawyer if additional services are required, regarding both the scope of the mandate and the related fees. In addition, the client will take the necessary steps in the case of a legal aid mandate.
• The criteria required by the client and the number of referrals received by the lawyer will determine the order in which referrals are made.

The Barreau de Montréal assumes the administrative costs of the service and does not charge clients a fee for using it.

Offered only to persons not represented by a lawyer who have been referred by the Court on the day scheduled for a hearing at the Montreal Courthouse from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., LDCS offers individual assistance in matters of family law. The family duty counsel may inform the party of the judicial process, as well as information on the forms to be completed and documents to be provided to the other party and to the Court.

The briefing session with duty counsel, lasting up to 30 minutes, is limited to basic legal information. The duty counsel can not address the opposing party or the Court in the place of the person seeking help. Because use of LDCS is limited to one information session per subject addressed in a Court case, if the services of a lawyer are further required, other resources will have to be sought, including those described in this website.

Available on court referral only.

The Barreau de Montréal, together with the Young Bar of Montreal (YBM) and the collaboration of the Direction des services judiciaires de la Métropole, has established a preparation service whose goal is to provide a free legal consultation to people who have to appear in court.

This free service is available by appointment only at the Montreal Courthouse, weekdays from 12 noon to 2 pm. During a consultation, a lawyer will assist a person with a court date in preparing their case and explain the procedure involved in a hearing before the:

• Court of Québec, Small Claims Division;
• Tribunal administratif du travail, division des relations du travail (TAT RT);
• Tribunal administratif du logement;
• Quebec Court of Appeal;
• Tribunal administratif du Québec – dispute to a decision rendered by the CNESST in matters of Crime Victims Compensation.

For an appointment (space is limited): 514 954­-3487

When the consultation takes place, it is important have all relevant documents (notice of hearing, motion, invoices, official notice, etc.)

For more information, please consult the YBM website.