Calgary & Edmonton Lawyers Provide Free Legal Services to Raise Money for Local Legal Organizations

On Saturday September 22, 2018, volunteer lawyers in Calgary and Edmonton took part in the Advice-A-Thon fundraiser, which supports Calgary Legal Guidance (CLG) and the Edmonton Community Legal Centre (ECLC).  Both organizations provide legal assistance to low-income and disadvantaged people.

In Calgary, CLG volunteers and staff set up shop in City Hall to provide members of the public with 30 minutes of free legal advice. CLG also provided free notarized identification documents that can be used to apply for Alberta Health Care, low-income bus passes, and other identification pieces as well as employment, financial and other services. At this year’s Advice-A-Thon, CLG served 108 clients and raised over $17,000 for CLG, primarily through sponsorship from law firms and lawyers.
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At Edmonton’s City Hall, 62 volunteer lawyers gave free legal advice to 125 low income Edmontonians, and also collected donation “pledges” from their friends, family, colleagues, and firms totalling over $29,000!  Corporate sponsorship contributed another $9600, with “Gold” sponsorships provided by the Edmonton Bar Association and ACE/Royal Reporting Services. 40 host volunteers, many of them U of A law students and ECLC staff, helped with all of the details, so that the event ran smoothly.