Legal Advice by Phone

Can I get legal advice over the phone in Canada?

You can get free legal information over the phone right now. Call the free Legal Hotline on 1-855-LAW-1555 any time, day or night, and an AI legal assistant trained on Canadian law will help you understand your situation. It gives legal information, not legal advice, and a C$295 one-hour consultation with a Canadian lawyer (the total, nothing added) can be booked right on the call. We are not a law firm and calling creates no lawyer-client relationship.

Legal information vs legal advice — what's the difference?

This is the single most useful thing to understand before you call:

• Legal information explains what the law generally says and how it usually works. The hotline provides this free, 24/7, with no appointment and no web form.
• Legal advice is a lawyer applying the law to your specific facts and telling you what you should do. Only a lawyer can give it — in Québec an avocat, with a notaire handling some non-contentious matters — and you can book exactly that on the call: a C$295 one-hour consultation with a Canadian lawyer.

Free information helps you understand your position quickly; advice from a lawyer tells you exactly what to do next.

Why does my province matter so much?

Canada has provinces and territories plus a federal layer, and which one applies shapes the answer. Criminal law is federal — the Criminal Code of Canada applies right across the country — but it is prosecuted and the courts run provincially. Family, civil, tenancy and traffic law are set province by province, so the rules differ depending on where you are. Québec is different again: it uses civil law under the Civil Code of Québec for private and family matters, while the rest of Canada follows common law. The free information line can help you understand your situation across criminal law, family law, impaired driving, employment law, civil disputes and immigration, and explain how the law usually works so you can decide your next step.

When do I actually need a lawyer's advice?

Free information is often enough to understand a situation. You generally need a lawyer's advice when there is a deadline or a court date, money or property at stake, a contract or formal document to respond to, or where getting it wrong is costly. You can book a C$295 consultation with a Canadian lawyer right on the call, or reach help through your provincial Legal Aid plan (such as Legal Aid Ontario, Legal Aid BC, or the Commission des services juridiques in Québec), a community legal clinic, or the lawyer-referral service run by your provincial law society. If you are facing criminal charges, free duty counsel is available at court.

Which courts might my situation involve?

In most provinces, the provincial court hears the bulk of criminal, traffic and small claims matters, while the superior court handles serious charges and many family cases. Immigration matters are dealt with federally, including the Federal Court. The free line can help you understand which one fits your situation.

How quickly can I get information?

Immediately. The free information line on 1-855-LAW-1555 answers 24/7, including nights, weekends and statutory holidays. There is no appointment, no income test and no web form — you simply call and talk it through. In an emergency, always call 911.

How It Works

Frequently Asked Questions