Our History

Our 70-Year History

In one form or another, we’ve been connecting British Columbians to legal help for almost three quarters of a century.

It all started in 1955 when the Law Society of BC launched the first iteration of LRS (then called the Lawyer Referral Service) to help British Columbians better connect with practicing lawyers. The Law Society received public requests for help by mail, and sent hand-written referral notices on to lawyers. It was a slow process, but it worked.

In 1971, the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch took over LRS from the Law Society, and managed it for 48 more years. CBABC computerized LRS processes in 1990, and grew it into one of the largest lawyer referral services in North America by the turn of the millennium.

The Access Pro Bono Society of BC inherited LRS from CBABC in 2019, and quickly positioned it as an affordable alternative for British Columbians who earn too much to qualify for the organization’s pro bono services. In late 2025, Access Pro Bono renamed LRS to the Legal Referral Service, and incorporated the services of notaries and designated paralegals. Access Pro Bono plans to also incorporate the services of newly licensed paralegals in the not-too-distant future.

LRS is funded by the Law Foundation of BC, and sustained in part by its modest booking fees. Here’s to another 70 years of advancing access to justice!