Quebec law students offering free consults to people with housing problems
CTV
The Quebec Bar's judicial clinic says it will start offering more free housing consultations to people in need ahead of the July 1 moving day.
The Quebec Bar's judicial clinic says it will start offering more free housing consultations to people in need ahead of the July 1 moving day.
The Order made the announcement on Tuesday, saying it would open up 500 additional slots.
"It's law students who are becoming lawyers in a few months, who are under the supervision of experienced lawyers, and they give legal advice to clients," said Catherine Ouimet, director general of the Quebec Bar.
She explains the benefits will hopefully be two-fold.
"It's a very good opportunity for them to learn law and to learn how to meet clients, how to give legal advice," Ouimet tells CTV News. "Considering the crisis of housing right now happening, we thought it would be very appropriate for the Quebec Bar to open more appointments specifically for housing matters."
Ouimet says the clinic tends to get more requests from tenants in need of help than landlords asking for advice.
"At this time of year, it's usually about increasing their fee," she said. "They're asking if it's normal, the increase is too much; recently, we've seen a lot of renovictions, so landlords trying to reclaim the housing for renovations and also illegal reclaiming."
