FAQ FOR THE PUBLIC
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Do you have to be Aboriginal to receive legal services from CLASSIC?
No, CLASSIC is open to everyone regardless of race, status, gender, or background. |
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What areas of law does CLASSIC deal with?
We deal with a variety of areas of law with the exception of family and serious criminal matters. Due to the rules of the Law Society, law students are not able to represent clients with legal matters before the Queen’s Bench, which usually deals with family matters. Please see the WHAT WE DO page to read more about what services we can provide. |
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How do I receive CLASSIC services?
Please come on Monday or Wednesday, between 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM to do an intake, which must happen before we can determine if we can provide you legal services. Intakes are on a first-come, first-serve basis. For an intake, you will meet with a law student who will gather your details and stories in a private and confidential setting. Law students are not allowed to give legal advice and will not be doing so during an intake. The student will then provide your intake file to the supervising lawyer to determine if we can open your file, which can depend on many factors (ex. capacity, area of law, etc.). |
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Who is eligible for CLASSIC services?
One of the main considerations we make when we assess an intake file is financial needs. CLASSIC is a poverty law clinic and we provide free legal services to low income members of the community who cannot afford a lawyer. Therefore, we do require financial information from you that we use to determine whether or not we can open your file at that time. We wish we could help everyone who comes through our doors, as we recognize many people suffer from financial hardships, but because we lack resources, we cannot open every file. We assess every file on a case-by-case basis, and the supervising lawyers make the ultimate decision on whether we open the file. |
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How long will it take for CLASSIC to decide if they can open my file?
It may take us about two weeks to consider opening your file, depending on our current capacity. If your particular legal matter requires immediate attention, please notify the student and we will do our best to work according to that deadline. Please note that we may not be able to open a file if a deadline is too soon and we are not able to prepare for it. If possible, please come to CLASSIC for an intake as soon as you can to avoid this situation. Whether we are opening or declining your file, the law student will then send you a letter (or through other means, if preferred) notifying you of our decision. |
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If you open my file, who will I be dealing with at CLASSIC?
You will be working with law students from the College of Law that act as advocates on your behalf. CLASSIC students are supervised by our staff supervising lawyers. |
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Does CLASSIC ever charge clients?
All of CLASSIC’s services are free (any legal advice, representation, information, etc., that we personally provide). However, clients are responsible for any and all external fees that other organizations/institutions may impose, such as court costs, filing fees, and any other costs that arise in the process of the legal proceeding. We will also notify you of any of those charges should they arise. |
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What is the difference between the Legal Advice Clinic (LAC) and the Walk in Advocacy Clinic (WAC)?
The WAC is a walk-in legal clinic where law students perform an intake, and if the matter is accepted, they will assist clients under the supervision of lawyers. CLASSIC students assist clients in many legal matters such as appearing in provincial court, and various tribunals, as well as assisting with drafting of required documents. The LAC allows clients to meet with a practicing private bar lawyers for a 30 minute appointment. The LAC typically deals with family matters and serious criminal issues if Legal Aid has denied services, and civil issues that are held at the Court of Queen’s Bench. Please see the WHAT WE DO page to read more about each program. |
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Do I have to live in Saskatoon to receive CLASSIC services?
Our policy requires clients to be a resident in Saskatoon and readily available for correspondence. However, consideration will be given to applicants that reside in the local surrounding area and where the legal matter is being dealt with in Saskatoon. |