Our organization's main purpose is to provide information about the law in Nova Scotia. However, we occasionally make referrals to lawyers in private practice through our Lawyer Referral Service.
Lawyers in the Lawyer Referral Service are not free lawyers (not pro bono). They are lawyers in private practice who offer an initial consultation of up to 30 minutes for a fee of no more than $20 plus tax. If you and the lawyer agree to work together, regular fees or fees worked out directly with the lawyer, will be charged after the initial consultation.
Our Lawyer Referral Service is just one way to get a consultation and get started with finding a lawyer. Here are some other ways to find a lawyer in Nova Scotia.
Please read the information below before you contact us for a referral.
How do I request a lawyer referral?
Contact the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia. We will ask you some questions to:
- Confirm that you have a legal problem and whether a lawyer in private practice can help you;
- Determine what type of legal problem you may have;
- Determine whether other resources might help you (for example, Nova Scotia Legal Aid or a community agency); and
- Give you relevant legal information about your problem.
Some of the questions may be personal, but we are asking to assess whether a referral is appropriate and to provide you with helpful legal information.
The service is anonymous and confidential. Our Legal Information Educators are legally trained professionals with diverse skills and knowledge in many areas of law. All of our Legal Information Educators have law degrees. Their main job is public legal education. They may be able to give you legal information to help you take steps toward solving your legal problem.
Are you always able to provide a referral?
No, unfortunately, we cannot always provide a referral.
Our organization's primary purpose is to provide information about the law. We provide referrals when we can, but our Lawyer Referral Service is small, and we are not able to accommodate all referral requests.
Referrals are provided at our discretion and made on a rotation basis, taking the area of law and geographic location into account.
If it is appropriate to provide a lawyer referral, we will do our best to refer you to a private lawyer who does the type of law you need in your part of the province.
If we can't provide a referral, we may offer some suggestions about how to find a lawyer in private practice.
My situation is time-sensitive, can I get a referral?
The Lawyer Referral Service is not intended for time-sensitive situations. We have no knowledge of the lawyer's schedules and cannot offer any assurance that they will be available within any specific time frame.
Due to the extremely high demand for all of our services, we cannot accommodate urgent or time-sensitive requests.
Do the lawyers on the Lawyer Referral Service work for free or for a discounted rate?
Lawyers in the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia's Lawyer Referral Service are not free (pro bono) lawyers.
Lawyer Referral Service members are lawyers in private practice who offer a reduced fee for an initial consultation. For anything more than a consultation, you must work out a fee arrangement directly with the lawyer. This usually means you will be paying the lawyer's regular fees.
We have no control over lawyers' regular fees, we do not track lawyers' fees, and we cannot guarantee that lawyers on the Lawyer Referral Service will offer lower fees than other lawyers.
If you retain a lawyer, be sure you understand the fee arrangement. See How Lawyers Charge for their work for more information.
If I get a referral, what terms and conditions apply to it?
If a referral is appropriate, we will give you contact information for a lawyer on our Lawyer Referral Service. It is up to you to contact the lawyer. Tell the lawyer you were referred by the Legal Information Society's Lawyer Referral Service. The law firm must do a conflict check to ensure they can offer a consultation.
You can connect with the lawyer for up to 30 minutes for a fee of $20 plus tax. Consultations are generally in the lawyer's office, although it is up to the lawyer—in some cases, they may happen remotely (examples: telephone, virtual).
During this initial consultation, you will discuss your problem with the lawyer and get an idea of your options and the costs involved.
Do not expect the lawyer to do legal work for you during the initial consultation. Legal work includes giving a legal opinion or advice, reviewing, interpreting, or drafting documents.
Prepare for your meeting with the lawyer. Review our Guide to a Successful Interview with a Lawyer. 30 minutes can go by quickly, so think about what you want to say. Briefly summarize your legal problem. Take copies of important documents with you, including any court order(s), contracts, financial information (if relevant), etc., so that you can leave copies with the lawyer if you decide to hire them.
The following terms and conditions apply to our referrals:
- A referral from our service is just for a consultation. You do not have to hire the lawyer if you do not want to and the lawyer has no obligation to take your case.
- The lawyer works in private practice. They do not work for our organization. They are a lawyer in the community who has agreed to provide an initial consultation of up to 30 minutes for a discounted rate.
- A referral from our service is not a recommendation. We do not rate lawyers and are not in a position to give recommendations. Again, a referral from us is just for a consultation.
- During the initial consultation, the lawyer is not required to give legal advice or do legal work for you—just discuss the general legal issue(s) and give you an idea of your options and costs.
- We do not know the lawyer's schedule and cannot guarantee that they will be available within any specific time frame.
- We can only provide one referral.
- We cannot guarantee that you will find a lawyer for your case through our Lawyer Referral Service. You may still need to search for a lawyer even after getting a referral from our service.
- We assume no responsibility for any aspect of your case.
Suppose you hire the lawyer after the initial 30-minute consultation, and the lawyer agrees to represent you. In that case, you must work out a fee arrangement directly with the lawyer. This usually means you will be paying the lawyer's regular fees. Be sure you understand the fee arrangement. See How Lawyers Charge for Their Work for more information.
When is the Lawyer Referral Service open?
Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Closed weekends and holidays.
Please note that, unfortunately, we cannot accept messages for return phone calls and we do not offer a call-back option.
What information do we have about the lawyers who are part of the Lawyer Referral Service?
We have the following information:
- Areas of law the lawyer practices.
- Where the lawyer is.
- Fee arrangements the lawyer may consider (e.g. regular fees, contingency fee agreement, limited scope retainer, flat fees, service fee).
- Whether the lawyer may offer in-office, telephone, email, or virtual consultations.
- How long the lawyer has practiced law.
- Whether the lawyer can meet the client where they are instead of at the lawyer's office.
- Whether notary public services are offered.
- Whether the lawyer is a member of the Bar anywhere other than Nova Scotia.
- Whether the lawyer offers service in languages other than English.
Can I get a list of lawyers who are part of the Lawyer Referral Service?
No. We do not provide lists of lawyers. If we can provide a referral, we provide contact info for a single lawyer based on your geographic location and the area of law involved.
Are all Nova Scotia lawyers part of the Lawyer Referral Service?
No. It is voluntary for lawyers to join the Legal Information Society's Lawyer Referral Service.
I contacted the lawyer you referred me to, but it didn't work out. Can I get another referral for the same legal issue?
No. We only give one lawyer referral for the same legal issue. We cannot guarantee that you will find a lawyer for your case through our Lawyer Referral Service. You may still need to engage in a search for a lawyer even after getting a referral from our service.
If the referral we gave you did not work out, go here for information about other ways to find a lawyer and legal help.
I can't afford a lawyer. Where can I get free legal help?
Lawyers in the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia's Lawyer Referral Service are not free (pro bono) lawyers.
Here is a list of free and low-cost legal services in Nova Scotia, or you can contact us by phone, email or live chat for free legal information, and we'll see if we can suggest other sources of help.
Last reviewed: September 2025