Legal Aid BC: Sally goes to court – Part 4

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Submitted by Nate Prosser and Alex Peel, Legal Aid BC,
Edited by Nila Gopaul • Illustrations by Danette Byatt
Going to court, Part 4/6

WCR and Legal Aid BC co-publish a series offering readers information about their legal rights in Canada.

Sally was in an abusive relationship.
Her husband hit her.
She took her kids and left their house.
They went to stay somewhere safe.

Sally gets help

Sally needed help.
She talked to a community worker.
The worker told her to apply for legal aid.
Legal Aid BC gives legal aid.
Legal Aid BC gave her a lawyer.
The lawyers can help Sally for free.

Sally talks to her lawyer

Sally goes to see her lawyer.
The lawyer’s name is Mary.
Sally tells Mary that she wants to stay safe.

Mary says that she can help Sally
get a protection order.
A protection order is a court order.
The order tells Sally’s husband
that he cannot be around her.
If he does not do what the order says,
he can be arrested.

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Mary explains that the protection order
cannot stop Sally’s husband from going to her home.
But if he goes, then he can be arrested
if someone calls the police.

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Sally will still need to have a plan
to stay safe.
A victim services worker
can help her.

“We have to fill out some forms,”
Mary explains.
“And then we will go to court
to ask a judge to make the order.”

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“What happens then?” Sally asks.

“Then we go to talk to a judge,” says Mary.
“When we talk to the judge, we will explain
what you want and why you want it.”

“Okay,” Sally says.
Sally is nervous about going to court.

“It will be okay,” Mary says. “I will be there to help.”

Sally and Mary go to court.
Sally gets a protection order.

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Legal Aid BC logo

Find out what happens to Sally next month in part 5.
Learn how to apply for legal aid.

For more information about family violence,
visit the Legal Services Society website:  legalaid.bc.ca/publications.