The Women’s Centre provides legal clinics in family, civil, and immigration law to women in our community, free of charge. These are offered three times a week during the day and in the evening to accommodate the varying schedules of women who require legal advice. The program continues to see a high demand. Last year, we expanded our program to include immigration clinics and increased the number of clinics per month, so as to meet the needs of women in our community. In total, we offered clinics to 360 women in 2016.
In 2017, we continue to see an increasing number of women requesting the legal services. In the first 5 months of this year, we have successfully hosted 72 legal clinics with a total attendance of 187 women. New to the Legal program this year is the Notary Public clinic. The breakdown is as follows:
- 48 Family law clinics compared to 36 in 2016
- 18 Civil (Non-family) law clinics compared to 12 in 2016
- 4 Immigration clinics compared to 2 in 2016
- 2 Notary Public clinics (New this year)
Some quotes from women who accessed our legal clinics this year
“The lawyer I spoke with listened very carefully and explained what was going to help my legal situation and made me feel like I wasn’t on my own.”
“The lawyer helped me understand everything about my case and she gave me more advice to help resolve it. She was very kind and patient. Thanks Women’s Centre for helping me.”
We would like to use this opportunity to thank our dedicated volunteer lawyers who take time out of their very busy schedules to volunteer with us. Your commitment to providing women with legal advice makes a difference in our community.
Also, a huge thank you to all our community and agency partners: Calgary Legal Guidance, Elizabeth Fry Society, and Pro Bono Law Alberta. You have all been such great support to the Women’s Centre and to the women who access our programs and services. Your partnership is greatly appreciated. In addition, we would like to thank Alberta Law Foundation for partially funding this program.
Written by Linda Akoakem, Basic Needs Coordinator.