Financial Eligibility Criteria
Legal navigation is available to all incoming clients. However, our legal services are reserved for clients who meet our income and asset eligibility thresholds.
We are a community legal centre, which provides limited legal services to self-identified women and gender diverse people in British Columbia, who may otherwise be unable to access legal help. We are not able to provide representation. Our clients include people who are economically disadvantaged, members of marginalized groups, and people seeking protection from family violence. In 2023, we assisted over 2,000 clients, primarily in the area of family law. Approximately 80% of our clients have experienced family violence.
Our income and asset eligibility criteria are to ensure that our clients, who may have minimal financial resources or no safe access to their financial resources, have support through their family law matter. To determine eligibility for our services, please complete our online request for and book an appointment to speak with one of our legal navigators. If our financial eligibility criteria is not met, our legal navigators may suggest other resources to you.
Income Eligibility
The current income eligibility guidelines, after tax deductions, are:
| Household Size | Monthly Income | Annual Income |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $3,800 | $45,602 |
| 2 persons | $4,626 | $55,550 |
| 3 persons | $5,460 | $69,110 |
| 4 persons | $7,186 | $86,220 |
| 5 persons | $8,174 | $98,180 |
| 6 persons | $9.074 | $108.884 |
| 7 or more persons | $9,966 | $119.588 |
Asset Eligibility
You may not be eligible for our services if:
you have safe access to more than $30,000, or,
where there is a legal claim in your matter
to more than $800,000.
Please note that our services are dependent on the clinic’s capacity and expertise. Meeting our financial guidelines does not guarantee that a file will be opened at Rise, or that a particular type of service will be provided.
To determine how we can best assist you in your legal matter, you will first speak with a navigator (who is not a lawyer), who will also assess your finances and if Rise is the best resource to assist you.
Rise retains the right to make changes to its financial eligibility guidelines.
Frequently asked questions
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We are a free community legal clinic and teaching facility serving women and gender diverse people all over BC. Due to the high need in the province, we have income and asset eligibility criteria so we can reach people who are economically disadvantaged, members of marginalized groups, and people seeking protection from family violence, who otherwise are unable to access legal help.
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Income includes anything that needs to be reported on an individual’s income tax return, such as employment income, self-employment income, and spousal support received.
We do not consider child support received as income.
We deduct certain expenses from income when assessing eligibility, including:
- childcare costs incurred,
- child or spousal support paid, and
- medical expenses.
We consider recurring gifts from family (regular cash payments or deposits into the bank) with no expectations of repayment as income.
We consider rental income from properties as income.
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A primary residence, where an opposing party has a legal claim, is exempt for clients seeking services from Rise.
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If your property is in your name and the opposing party does not have a legal claim, it is not exempt from asset eligibility.
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Rise’s legal navigators are in the best position to gather more information and provide next steps. Please note we are a free legal clinic and do have few weeks of waiting to speak to the navigators.
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Based on our insurance limits, we are unable to assist clients where the financial claim is over $800,000.
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