FAQs
(Q) Do you provide legal advice?
(A) No, we recommend that you speak to a lawyer directly.
(Q) Where do I find a lawyer?
(A) See the referrals section on our home page.
(Q) What services do you provide and how much does it cost?
(A) We currently only offer free browsing ,but we will have paid services available in the near future.
(Q) Where is selfservelaw.com located?
(A) Our headquarters are located in Victoria, B.C. Canada.
(Q) Do you sell advertising on this site?
(A) Yes, Please contact
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Legal Terms
Retainer: The money you give to a lawyer before they begin work on your case. This money is held in a trust account and can only be used to work on your case according to the instructions you give your lawyer.
Retainer agreement: a document which sets out what services the lawyer is being hired to perform, and which usually includes a breakdown of the hourly rates charged by the various employees of the law firm.
Contingency: a payment arrangement where the lawyer agrees to work for free until your case is settled, and you agree that the lawyer will take a percentage cut of the final amount (in British Columbia, 40% is the most a lawyer can charge for a personal injury case). With a contingency agreement, the lawyer doesn't get paid unless and until you get paid: if you lose your case, you don't have to pay the lawyer. Usually, administrative fees such as court filing fees are still paid by the client under such an arrangement.
Court filing fees: Courts charge money to accept documents. In the Supreme Court of BC, it costs $208 to start a lawsuit or to file a defence if you are being sued. In the Small Claims Court of BC, which has a maximum claim limit of $25, 000, it costs $100 to start a lawsuit if your claim is less than $3000 and it costs $156 to start a lawsuit for a claim between $3000 and $25, 000.
Sample Contract Between Person A and Person B: Offer: Person A says “I will give you 3 cents if you perform 20 jumping jacks, because I enjoy watching people do jumping jacks.” Acceptance in this case could be shown by Person B either (i) making a statement that “I accept your offer, and I will perform these jumping jacks. Upon completion of the jumping jacks, I expect that you will give me the three cents,” (ii) making a statement that “I accept your offer, and I will perform these jumping jacks after you have given me the three cents,” or (iii) performing the jumping jacks. The consideration flowing from Person A to Person B would be 3 cents, and flowing from Person B to Person A would be the mental satisfaction of seeing jumping jacks. If Person B accepted the contract via option (i) and then breached by failing to perform the contract, Person A could do either of: (a) sue for specific performance of the jumping jacks, which if granted by a court would require Person A to pay Person B the three cents; (b) hire someone else to do the jumping jacks and then sue Person B for the amount that the cost of that hire exceeded three cents (mitigation costs); (c) rescind the contract and act as if the contract never existed. If Person B accepted the contract via option (ii)and then breached by failing to perform the contract, Person A could do either of: (a) sue for specific performance of the jumping jacks; (b) hire someone else to do the jumping jacks and then sue Person B for the cost of that hire (mitigation costs) plus the return of his three cents; or (c) sue Person B for the return of the three cents.
(Q) Do you sell advertising on this site?
(A) Yes, Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Legal Terms
Retainer: The money you give to a lawyer before they begin work on your case. This money is held in a trust account and can only be used to work on your case according to the instructions you give your lawyer.
Retainer agreement: a document which sets out what services the lawyer is being hired to perform, and which usually includes a breakdown of the hourly rates charged by the various employees of the law firm.
Contingency: a payment arrangement where the lawyer agrees to work for free until your case is settled, and you agree that the lawyer will take a percentage cut of the final amount (in British Columbia, 40% is the most a lawyer can charge for a personal injury case). With a contingency agreement, the lawyer doesn't get paid unless and until you get paid: if you lose your case, you don't have to pay the lawyer. Usually, administrative fees such as court filing fees are still paid by the client under such an arrangement.
Court filing fees: Courts charge money to accept documents. In the Supreme Court of BC, it costs $208 to start a lawsuit or to file a defence if you are being sued. In the Small Claims Court of BC, which has a maximum claim limit of $25, 000, it costs $100 to start a lawsuit if your claim is less than $3000 and it costs $156 to start a lawsuit for a claim between $3000 and $25, 000.
Sample Contract Between Person A and Person B: Offer: Person A says “I will give you 3 cents if you perform 20 jumping jacks, because I enjoy watching people do jumping jacks.” Acceptance in this case could be shown by Person B either (i) making a statement that “I accept your offer, and I will perform these jumping jacks. Upon completion of the jumping jacks, I expect that you will give me the three cents,” (ii) making a statement that “I accept your offer, and I will perform these jumping jacks after you have given me the three cents,” or (iii) performing the jumping jacks. The consideration flowing from Person A to Person B would be 3 cents, and flowing from Person B to Person A would be the mental satisfaction of seeing jumping jacks. If Person B accepted the contract via option (i) and then breached by failing to perform the contract, Person A could do either of: (a) sue for specific performance of the jumping jacks, which if granted by a court would require Person A to pay Person B the three cents; (b) hire someone else to do the jumping jacks and then sue Person B for the amount that the cost of that hire exceeded three cents (mitigation costs); (c) rescind the contract and act as if the contract never existed. If Person B accepted the contract via option (ii)and then breached by failing to perform the contract, Person A could do either of: (a) sue for specific performance of the jumping jacks; (b) hire someone else to do the jumping jacks and then sue Person B for the cost of that hire (mitigation costs) plus the return of his three cents; or (c) sue Person B for the return of the three cents.
(A) Yes, Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Legal Terms
Retainer: The money you give to a lawyer before they begin work on your case. This money is held in a trust account and can only be used to work on your case according to the instructions you give your lawyer.
Retainer agreement: a document which sets out what services the lawyer is being hired to perform, and which usually includes a breakdown of the hourly rates charged by the various employees of the law firm.
Contingency: a payment arrangement where the lawyer agrees to work for free until your case is settled, and you agree that the lawyer will take a percentage cut of the final amount (in British Columbia, 40% is the most a lawyer can charge for a personal injury case). With a contingency agreement, the lawyer doesn't get paid unless and until you get paid: if you lose your case, you don't have to pay the lawyer. Usually, administrative fees such as court filing fees are still paid by the client under such an arrangement.
Court filing fees: Courts charge money to accept documents. In the Supreme Court of BC, it costs $208 to start a lawsuit or to file a defence if you are being sued. In the Small Claims Court of BC, which has a maximum claim limit of $25, 000, it costs $100 to start a lawsuit if your claim is less than $3000 and it costs $156 to start a lawsuit for a claim between $3000 and $25, 000.
Sample Contract Between Person A and Person B: Offer: Person A says “I will give you 3 cents if you perform 20 jumping jacks, because I enjoy watching people do jumping jacks.” Acceptance in this case could be shown by Person B either (i) making a statement that “I accept your offer, and I will perform these jumping jacks. Upon completion of the jumping jacks, I expect that you will give me the three cents,” (ii) making a statement that “I accept your offer, and I will perform these jumping jacks after you have given me the three cents,” or (iii) performing the jumping jacks. The consideration flowing from Person A to Person B would be 3 cents, and flowing from Person B to Person A would be the mental satisfaction of seeing jumping jacks. If Person B accepted the contract via option (i) and then breached by failing to perform the contract, Person A could do either of: (a) sue for specific performance of the jumping jacks, which if granted by a court would require Person A to pay Person B the three cents; (b) hire someone else to do the jumping jacks and then sue Person B for the amount that the cost of that hire exceeded three cents (mitigation costs); (c) rescind the contract and act as if the contract never existed. If Person B accepted the contract via option (ii)and then breached by failing to perform the contract, Person A could do either of: (a) sue for specific performance of the jumping jacks; (b) hire someone else to do the jumping jacks and then sue Person B for the cost of that hire (mitigation costs) plus the return of his three cents; or (c) sue Person B for the return of the three cents.
