Who is eligible to make use of the plan?
You, your spouse and any dependents living at home are all eligible.
How do I access the plan?
At your convenience, call the LegalSavers toll free number, (866) 780-2516.
Identify yourself to the LegalSavers representative and indicate that you are seeking legal
assistance services.
Upon verification of your identification the LegalSavers representative will ask you:
- For your name;
- For your identification number;
- For the city where you reside and/or where the legal matter is taking place;
- For the telephone number where you can be reached;
- For the times that a lawyer can reach you;
- Whether or not a message can be left should you not be available; and
- For the type of law and matter that assistance is being sought.
The information obtained by the LegalSavers representative will enable the lawyer to
call you back during the time that you requested to discuss your matter.
What services can I access?
There are two services that you can access:
1) Summary telephone legal advice
Telephone advice, on a variety of law types, is provided by LegalSavers provincial or inhouse
lawyers at no charge to the member.
Please note that summary legal advice is legal general advice preliminary to retaining
a lawyer and does not extend to extensive specific technical details.
2) Lawyer referral
Should you wish just a lawyer referral and no legal advice, the LegalSavers representative
will give you the referral.
Should you wish both a referral and legal advice, the advice lawyer will be able to
give you a referral at the end of your advice session in most instances. Occasionally,
a LegalSavers representative will have to call you with the referral after your advice session.
When receiving a referral, you will be given the name, telephone number and address
of the lawyer in your area. It is your responsibility to contact the lawyer. Please note
that most referral lawyers do not provide a free initial thirty-minute meeting.
A discount of 25% on fees, charged by the lawyer, is available for certain types of law,
so long as the lawyer’s account is paid within 30 days of receipt.
Are the services provided bilingual?
All services provided are bilingual. This includes your LegalSavers representative and advice lawyers. Bilingual referral lawyers are available but in
certain cases some travel may be necessary in certain provinces.
Is confidentiality provided?
All discussions with an advice or referral lawyer are protected by a solicitor-client
privilege. This privilege belongs to you and cannot be breached by the lawyer
without your written consent.
Any information taken from you by both the LegalSavers
representative is necessary and strictly confidential. Confidentiality is legislated by
various privacy statutes and abided by LegalSavers. There can be no
disclosure of information provided by you, other than that necessary to perform the
service you requested, without your written consent unless otherwise directed in
rare situations by statute.
What are the hours of operation?
Your LegalSavers is a 24/7 operation. This includes call-backs from the
advice lawyers.
Do not hesitate to request a call-back after hours, on weekends or holidays if that
is more convenient to you.
What types of law are covered by the plan?
Legal advice is available in these major areas of law:
- Civil Litigation;
- Criminal;
- Family;
- Landlord & Tenant;
- Residential Real Estate; and
- Wills & Estates.
Included in the major areas of law is advice on questions dealing with:
- Administrative & Tribunal;
- Bankruptcy;
- Contracts & Consumer;
- Ethics & Confidentiality;
- Personal Injury;
- Provincial Offences;
- Small Claims;
- Powers of Attorney; and
- Medical Malpractice.
Please note that no legal advice is available for corporate or commercial matters,
immigration or tax law.
Areas of law eligible for the 25% lawyer referral fee reduction are:
- Civil Litigation
- Criminal
- Family
- Landlord & Tenant
- Wills & Estate
Please note that although advice is available for administrative & tribunal and medical
malpractice questions there are no referrals available. Referrals are available for residential real estate but no discount is available.
Is the legal advice session time limited?
Telephone legal advice sessions are not time limited in duration. The advice lawyers will
take the time necessary to ensure that your questions are answered and understood by
you. It is not possible to go into extensive details of a technical nature as such would not
be fair to your fellow members awaiting a call-back.
How often can I access the plan?
You may access the plan as many times as you require. You are not limited to one
particular area of law.
What do I do if I have a complaint?
Complaints tend to be rare, as they should be with any quality program. Should the need
for you to complain arise, please contact LegalSavers. They will forward your
complaint for investigation. Please note that if your complaint is about your
advice or referral lawyer LegalSavers will forward a ‘Consent to Release of
Information’ form for you to complete and forward to us so that we can investigate. |
