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Are BC Courts Open?

by Alistair Vigier in British Columbia. Posted May 18, 2020

BC Supreme Court

BC Courts Open

Are you wondering if the BC Courts are open due to the Coronavirus? We have good news for you, the courts are back open! In March 2020, the courts suspended regular operations. This left a lot of people with hearings and trials anxious. All of the hearings and trials were adjourned. The BC supreme court, appeal court, and Provincial Court all shut down. The only matters that were heard were urgent matters, and this was done by video conference. However, no one knew what an urgent matter was. Most people think their serious legal issues are urgent. This caused a lot of confusion.

Members of the public decided to put off their legal issues. During the best of times, people don’t like to deal with things like family law or lawsuits. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, no one wants to deal with their issues. The goal of this article is to convince you otherwise.

BC Supreme Court Is Open

Right now for the first time, you can do hearings over video conference or by written submission. Also, a lot of case conferences are done by telephone conferences. In the past few weeks, the courts have allowed hearings by written submissions. This is why right now is a great time to hire a lawyer to help you with your legal needs. If a lawyer can do a hearing in writing, it will save you a lot of money.
Why? Because normally lawyers in British Columbia need to sit in court for days to be heard. If a lawyer charges you $2000 a day in court, it might cost you $4000. When a lawyer submits their position and application in writing, that will save you thousands of dollars. Even if the hearing is done by video conference, the lawyer has a specific time that they will will “appear” in front of the judge.
If you want to speak to a lawyer in BC, fill out the form on the side of this page. We have lawyers that can help with family law, business law, bankruptcy, and employment law.

Provincial Courts

British Columbia Provincial Courts

In our opinion, the provincial courts have not done as good as a job as the BC Supreme Court or BC Appeal Court. Many of the provincial courts have been refusing to allow lawyers to file their documents. The BC Supreme Court has always allowed the filing of documents during the COVID-19 pandemic. For some reason, the appeal court was the first to post videos of their hearings. It seems the appeal court has been the most innovative.

If you have a matter that could be heard in the BC Supreme Court, right now is a great time. Even if your matter is for the provincial court, it will take the lawyer a few weeks to get ready. We will let you know if it is a good time to start your legal cost. You can book a free consultation by filling out the form on the side of this page.

The BC Courts Are Open

The provincial courts must ensure that the general public still has access to justice. This means that the public has access to the court, even if only done over the internet. One of our team tried to file a reply to a small claims action in the Victoria registry, and it was returned. The court staff said they are not accepting small claims replies at this time. This is confusing and causes clients stress.

If you are not ready to move forward with your legal case, you can watch some videos about Canadian law instead.

In conclusion, are the BC courts open? Yes.

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