The centralised legal services initiative was launched in 2022 to improve support for family law advocates across British Columbia. This program is part of a continuing collaboration between Rise and the Law Foundation of BC, to provide better support to family law advocates.

Law Foundation-funded advocates provide a variety of services to clients, from legal information and help understanding legal issues, to supporting clients who are navigating the family law system and through the court process. Family law is widely recognized as one of the biggest gaps to justice in BC, and family law advocates provide critical support for women navigating the legal system, especially those in rural areas where there are fewer resources.

In the past there has been a lack of consistency in the way that advocates are providing legal assistance in BC, as the organisations who employ advocates often have different mandates and offer different services to clients. There has historically been a notable rate of turnover among advocates, which makes training harder to deliver, as not all advocates have the same level of understanding of family law to build on.

There are currently two centralised legal supervising lawyers, providing one-to-one mentorship and supervision to up to 12 advocates located in smaller communities in BC. Read more about Rise's team here (Link to page). legal assistance in BC, as the organisations who employ advocates have different mandates and offer different services to clients. There is a high level of turnover in the Law Foundation-funded advocates, which makes training harder to deliver, as not all advocates have the same level of understanding of family law to build on.