Civil Claims Duty Counsel in Calgary and Edmonton: Free Help at the Courthouse

What Duty Counsel Is

Civil Claims Duty Counsel is a free service run by Pro Bono Law Alberta (PBLA) where volunteer lawyers provide summary legal advice to self-represented litigants at the courthouse. It operates on a walk-in basis — you show up, get in line, and receive a short consultation, typically around 30 minutes.

The service runs at two locations:

• Calgary Courts Centre (601 5 Street SW)
• Edmonton Law Courts (1A Sir Winston Churchill Square)

Days and hours vary by location. Check Pro Bono Law Alberta's program calendar for the next clinic.

What They Can Do

In your 30-minute session, a duty counsel lawyer can:

• Review your Dispute Note before you file it — checking that you've selected the right response option, your statement covers the key facts, and nothing critical is missing
• Explain the procedure — what happens after filing, how the resolution tracks work, what to expect at a trial, motion, or other appearance
• Clarify the law — help you understand the legal issues in your case and what you'd need to prove or disprove
• Identify problems with the claim — point out weaknesses in the plaintiff's case you might not have noticed, or flag issues with how you were served

What They Can't Do

Duty counsel provides brief advice and document-preparation help, not ongoing representation. The program does not assist with pre-trial conferences or mediations. You remain responsible for filing and serving your Dispute Note. This is why preparation matters: the more organized you are when you sit down, the more useful the 30 minutes will be.

Making the Most of Your Visit

Show up with:

• The Civil Claim you were served (all pages)
• Your draft Dispute Note (even a rough one)
• A timeline of events — dates of the contract, when work started, when things went wrong, when you were served
• Any key documents — the contract, relevant invoices, text messages, or emails
• Specific questions written down — the 30 minutes goes fast

The duty counsel lawyer is seeing your case for the first time. The faster they can understand the facts, the more substantive their advice will be. Don't spend 15 minutes of your slot explaining background that a written timeline could convey in 30 seconds.

Duty Counsel vs. Other Free Resources

Alberta has several free legal help options, but they serve different functions:

Calgary Legal Guidance (CLG) provides free legal advice clinics for low-income Calgarians, but requires financial eligibility screening and advance appointment booking. Better for complex situations where you need a longer consultation.

Edmonton Community Legal Centre (ECLC) offers legal advice and document review for low-to-moderate income residents in the Edmonton area, covering small claims, debt, and tenancy disputes.

Student Legal Assistance (Calgary) and Student Legal Services (Edmonton) are law-student-run clinics at the University of Calgary and University of Alberta. They can provide more extended help, including document drafting and occasional court representation, but have financial eligibility requirements.

CPLEA / LawCentral Alberta publishes excellent educational materials about civil claims, but doesn't provide individual legal advice.

Legal Aid Alberta covers criminal, family, child protection, and immigration matters. It does not cover civil claim defence — a fact that catches many defendants off guard after they've spent days applying.

Duty counsel is a walk-in option: no appointment or pre-registration is required, and clients are assisted on a first-come, first-served basis. Check the PBLA program calendar for the next session. The trade-off is it's short, not ongoing, and limited to the days and hours it operates.

Timing Your Visit

If you haven't filed your Dispute Note yet and your response deadline is approaching, visit duty counsel as early as possible — ideally in your first week after being served. That gives you time to incorporate their advice into your Dispute Note and still file before the deadline.

Don't visit duty counsel on day 19 expecting them to fix everything. By then, your priority is getting something filed with the clerk before the deadline runs out. A filed Dispute Note that isn't perfect is infinitely better than a default judgment because you ran out of time.

When Duty Counsel Isn't Enough

If your case involves a large amount (closer to the $100,000 Court of Justice limit), complex legal issues, or a counterclaim, a 30-minute walk-in consultation may not be sufficient. Consider hiring a paralegal ($140–$150/hour in Alberta, typically 2–4 hours for Dispute Note preparation) or consulting the Alberta Civil Claim Response Guide, which covers the complete response and hearing process in one reference.

See more Alberta guides →