Information for Non-Lawyers
We provide a range of volunteer opportunities for non-lawyers to assist our staff and lawyers in serving the public. These include direct service roles for articling students, paralegals, notaries and law students, and support roles for post-secondary students and others.
Volunteer Opportunities for Non-Lawyer Legal Professionals
We offer a variety of program-based and stand-alone volunteer opportunities for non-lawyer legal professionals (i.e. articling students, paralegals, mediators, notaries, community advocates, law students). As examples, an APB client may need a pro bono notary to prepare a Power of Attorney, two clients may seek a pro bono mediator to mediate a civil dispute, or a volunteer lawyer may seek a law student to research case law for a litigation matter. Non-lawyer legal professionals may also provide pro bono legal assistance in relation to one or more of our PROGRAMS.
If you are a non-lawyer legal professional interested in helping us to provide greater access to justice to all British Columbians, we encourage you to CONTACT US and outline the type and scope of pro bono opportunities that most interest you.
Volunteer Opportunities for Post-Secondary Students and Others
We offer a variety of office-based and “field work” volunteer opportunities for post-secondary students and others. For most of our volunteer positions, we ask for about 2-3 hours per week of your time. Most of our volunteer positions require a commitment of 6 months or more. If you volunteer for a legal advice clinic, the hours will be specific, but many of our volunteer positions have no particular time frames.
Please review the following volunteer opportunities, and submit your VOLUNTEER APPLICATION if you are interested in one or more of them. We generally expect that our volunteers will be 18 years of age or older.
Administrative Volunteers
Our Administrative Volunteers are the heart and soul of APB. They perform many important tasks, including: typing and correcting documents, liasing with social agencies and lawyers, and booking or referring clients. Administrative volunteer positions are only available during office hours from Monday to Friday.
Client Call Volunteers
We have a roster of volunteers who are responsible for responding to client inquires. Our Client Call Volunteers are up to date on everything that APB does, and they answer clients’ questions, refer clients to other service organizations, and book clients into our legal advice clinics.
Clinic Assistants
We rely on volunteers to attend our legal advice clinics and assist our volunteer lawyers and/or clients as needed. Our Clinic Assistants confirm client bookings and send client information to our volunteer lawyers. Most of our clinics run during office hours from Monday to Friday.
Computer Technology & Development Volunteers
We often seek volunteer help for updating, expanding and maintaining our computer devices, network, and website.
