Hiring a lawyer can be very expensive, and not everyone can afford it. But sometimes legal help is necessary. In these situations, legal aid is available to help. You must provide financial statements and information proving you are unable to pay a lawyer. Depending on your finances, legal aid can be free of charge, or you may be expected to pay some of the costs.
How Legal aid works
Legal aid offers two services: duty counsel and certificates.
Duty counsel
Duty counsel is the lawyer who will be referred to you if you call legal aid following an arrest. The duty counsel will see you at the police station or wherever you are being held. Duty counsel may represent you when you enter a plea, but they do not defend you during your trial. The duty counsel service allows a person accused of an offence to speak with a lawyer before they go to court.
Certificates
If you go on trial and cannot afford a lawyer, you must apply to legal aid to obtain a certificate. Once a certificate is issued, you may be represented in court by a legal aid lawyer—either free of charge, or for a reduced fee. Legal aid certificates are issued only to those who do not have the financial means to pay for legal representation.
Legal aid offices in New Brunswick:
Saint John City Hall
15 Market Square, Suite 1509
Saint John, NB E2L 1E8
Telephone: (506) 633-6030
Fax: (506) 633-8994