We have family lawyers available in every region and jurisdiction in Alberta and can arrange a meeting near where you live. Our lawyers are happy to work with you on payment plans that fit your budget to provide you with the best possible representation. Of course, it’s all within a budget that you can afford.

FAQs

Q Do I need to hire a Lawyer in Alberta?

One of the most common questions we receive at 1-800-LAWYER-0 is, “do I need to hire a Lawyer in Alberta?”, or “can I represent myself?”. The most common reasons people need a Lawyer is for a real estate transaction (buying or selling a home), Family Law Matter (such as a divorce or child custody issue), getting sued, or being charged with a crime. In all these situations, it is always advisable to retain the services of a lawyer whenever possible. In court proceedings, individuals have the right to represent themselves. However, the benefits of hiring a lawyer with experience in handling similar matters. Most likely outweigh the costs in both the results and convenience.

Q What if I Can’t Afford a Lawyer in Alberta

At 1-800-LAWYER-0, We provide ourselves on being able to find a lawyers in Alberta that will work within your budget. And understand your financial needs. However, we understand that not everybody can afford a lawyer. And that you may need additional assistance. We also have lawyers that are willing to except cases on legal aid and in very rare cases on a pro-bono basis (free).

Legal Aid Alberta
If you are seeking aid for coverage after becoming evolve in a criminal offence and are likely facing jail time. Legal-Aid Lawyers in Alberta will assess your financial situation and determine if you are eligible. If you qualify Legal Aid Alberta will pay a lawyer on your behalf to represent you, that lawyer will be receive in accordance with the legal aid tariff (a fixed amount per hour, for a maximum amount of hours). You will have to pay legal aid Alberta at a fixed rate.

Legal Aid Alberta does not provide lawyers for all legal matters, the most common area’s in which legal aid will provide legal coverage are criminal matters for which there is the likelihood of jail, divorce and child custody matters, immigration and refugee matters and child welfare matters such as temporary guardianship orders and permanent guardianship orders. To determine if you qualify for Legal Aid Alberta visit: www.legalaid.ab.ca

If you have been granted coverage by Legal Aid Alberta subject to certain restrictions, you have the choice of which lawyer you want to represent you. If you have been approved for Legal aid Coverage contact us at 1-800-LAWYER-0 to get into contact with the right lawyer Alberta Lawyer willing to represent you on Legal Aid.

Community Legal Clinics
If you can’t afford a lawyer in Alberta and don’t qualify for Legal Aid Alberta there are a number of community legal clinics across Alberta that can offer you assistance. There are seven community legal clinics across Alberta that can provide you assistance with your legal matters. These community legal clinics can provide assistance with:

Family Law, including separation and divorce, child custody, child support, and more
Landlord and Tenant
Employment and wrongful dismissal
Human Rights
Debt
Small Claims
Immigration, including concerns of Temporary Foreign Workers. Eligibility for our services does not depend on your status in Canada.
Income supports appeals for AISH, Employment Insurance, CPP, and others
They are located in Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Calgary, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Grande Prairie. To find out if you qualify for their services visit their websites at:
Edmonton Community Legal Centre: https://www.eclc.ca/
Fort McMurray Community Legal Centre: https://www.communitylegalclinic.net/
Calgary Community Legal Centre: https://clg.ab.ca
Red Deer Community Legal Centre: https://www.communitylegalclinic.net/
Lethbridge Community Legal Centre: https://www.lethbridgelegalguidance.ca
Medicine Hat Community Legal Centre: https://www.mhlhc.ca/
Grade Prairie Community Legal Centre: https://www.gplg.ca/

Q Can I just hire an agent instead of a lawyer in Alberta?

Lawyer in Alberta in the Province of Alberta are not licensed or regulated or licensed like Alberta lawyers. There are no minimum requirements to become a lawyer (no required education or competency). There is also no governing body to ensure that lawyer acts ethically or you get what you pay for. Each lawyer is also not required to carry insurance. Therefore, if their actions are negligent or cause you injury, they don’t provide you with the services you pay for. In that case, very little can be done about it.

How do I know my paralegal is qualified?
There is also no way to ensure that the paralegal you hire has the knowledge or skills necessary to handle your legal matters competently. Many paralegals advertise things such as “Certified Court Agent,” “Accredited Paralegal,” or “Dedicated Legal Agent”. However, these titles are meaningless and are not recognized in the Province of Alberta. They are entirely self-imposed. Even worse, many companies will advertise things such as “founded by a former prosecutor” or “started by an ex-police officer,”. This does nothing to ensure that the current operator or person representing you has any legal knowledge or background.

If your legal matters are important to you, there is no reason you should ever hire anybody other than an accredited lawyer. It is the only way to ensure that your legal affairs are attended to by a competent, dedicated professional.

In the event, your legal matters are not important and you are considering hiring a paralegal. It is important to find out the actual training of the person representing you. Don’t settle for vague titles or general comments about working in conjunction with the legal system. Ask about specific education, such as diplomas or degrees from accredited schools or verifiable licenses and certifications that you can search for.

Q Why are your Lawyers the best?

We know that not all Lawyers are equal. Having the right person working on your case, in your particular circumstance will make a big difference. They say only fools represent themselves; and we believe that only fools hire a Lawyer based on an ad in the phone book or a search engine. Our Lawyers are the best available anywhere in Alberta. Not just the best at what they do; but the best at meeting the needs and financial ability of each and every individual client.

Q How Lawyers are paid in Alberta

Most commonly, Lawyers are paid in Alberta through a fee structure of an hourly rate or bill-by-time method. An hourly rate is usually maintained for family law and civil litigation (lawsuits). In these situations, the Lawyer will generally take a retainer. Charging you for their time based on an hourly rate and in increments of 6 minutes (1/10th of an hour).

In addition, Lawyers are paid in Alberta and will record all the time they spend working on your case. Including the time they spend interacting with you (in-person, in writing, or on the phone), drafting documents researching your case, attending court, and communicating with the other side.

Estimate
Most lawyers will provide you with an estimate as to how much time it is expected to take to accomplish specific tasks. However, such estimates are just that, estimates and subject to change based on unexpected factors. In addition, the amount of time you spend with your Lawyer on the phone or in person.

In Alberta, most lawyers have an hourly rate between $200 per hour to $500 per hour, depending on the lawyers’ experience and specialization. Initial retainers for family cases and most civil litigation matters range from $2,500 to $7,500.00. Depending on the nature and complexity of your case.

The second most common method is the flat-fee method. A lawyer will provide you with the cost associated with all the specific steps for your case or your case. Similarly, this is common for preparing documents such as wills, uncontested divorces (uncontested divorces), and criminal cases. In criminal law, lawyers will ask you for a retainer to review your disclosure. And to advise you of the potential outcomes.

Estimate
They will then provide an estimate to complete your case through trial. Or a guilty plea based upon an estimate to resolve your case. The initial retainer for criminal matters in Alberta can vary from $1,500.00 to $10,000.00. Also depending on the seriousness of the charges and the experience of the lawyer you retain.

The total cost associated with resolving your case depends on how long your case is, how much trial time is involved, and the complexity of your case. The flat fee method is also prevalent for wills and real estate matters.

In general, lawyers will provide you with a flat fee for the conduct of the completion of your real estate transaction, depending on the type of transaction. This is also the most common method of billing for the creation of wills, where a lawyer will charge you a flat fee for the preparation of a will or the preparation of mirror wills for a couple.

There are very few cases that Alberta Lawyers will take on a contingency basis and are usually limited to personal injury cases such as automobile accidents. This includes dog bites, slips, falls, or injuries on someone else’s premises. An Alberta Lawyer will take such cases on contingency because not only is the success of the outcome of the case guaranteed.

But also the collection (usually from an insurance company). In Alberta, Lawyers are also limited in the types of cases they can take on a contingency basis by The Law Society of Alberta.

Recovery
A lawyer will take your case on a percentage of the recovery in minimal circumstances. You will not have to pay your lawyer in advance and must only pay when the lawyer recovers on your behalf. You will never be out of pocket for any legal fees. And will be able to pay when the lawyer collects money for your case.

Therefore, the amount your lawyer charges will be a percentage of what the lawyer recovers for you. The most common percentage in a contingency agreement in Alberta is 33%. However, more complex cases may result in higher percentages.

Q Can I just do it all myself? Why hire a lawyer when all I need is a standard legal document, or template to get started?

We believe that accessing quality legal documents that you can fill out and print out at home is an important right for all Albertans; and we provide all the tools you need to so in the most secure, safe and effective way possible. Whether you want to save money on a will, or begin the painful process of separation and divorce; our question based document creator service can help. Print the finished document or send it electronically to collect signatures. We make the process painless and affordable.

Use the link below to start creating your custom, lawyer reviewed, document now.

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