Legal Care Program
This page provides an overview of the PGSS Legal Care Program. Students can use this program for legal consultations and Essential Legal Representation.
This page provides an overview of the PGSS Legal Care Program. Students can use this program for legal consultations and Essential Legal Representation.
The Legal Care Program is available to all PGSS members. Through a partner law firm, PGSS members have access to a legal consultation service to consult a duly certified lawyer in their province of study regarding any legal question via a toll-free legal assistance helpline. The Legal Care Program also includes further counsel should students qualify for legal representation.
Program services are provided by members in good standing of the Barreau du Québec.
The legal consultation service provides quick access to legal counselling on any area of law, including criminal law, and includes the following features:
• Legal opinions
• Legal research
• Advice on legal documents and contracts
• Interpretation of applicable laws for each case
• Development of a strategy
• Sharing general information of a legal nature
• Follow-ups by the partner law firm
• Personalized and individualized case management
Legal consultation: request support here
Fill out the online Support Form and select Legal Program as the reason for your request.
The legal assistance helpline provides quick access to legal counselling on any area of law, including criminal law.
A lawyer will take charge of proceedings related to the following areas of law:
Legal representation includes lawyers’ fees and legal expenses (disbursements), such as attendance fees, court fees (except for Small Claims Support cases and any fees the student may be ordered to pay by the court), and witness expenses.
The Legal Care program is part of the PGSS insurance plans, administered by our broker Studentcare. Students can learn more about these areas of law directly on the Studentcare website under the Legal Care / The Essentials section.
Legal Essentials only includes requests whose territorial jurisdiction is that of the province where the student is studying, both for consultation and for representation.
The student is responsible for paying the costs awarded to the opposing party in civil cases, if the student has been ordered to pay them by the Court.
Requests for representation that have little or no chance of success, or that are deemed frivolous or disproportionate, in the judgment of the partner law firm, may be subject to denial of service.
• Request with little or no chance of success: a request with a low probability of being granted by a court
• Frivolous request: a request that has no legal basis
• Disproportionate request: a request for which the legal action sought by the student is disproportionate to the magnitude of the problem raised
The partner law firm may also cease to represent a student if the person refuses an offer of settlement that the lawyers on the case deem acceptable and timely; or if the student refuses or neglects to cooperate in an acceptable manner with the lawyers in charge of their case.
If allegations of sexual misconduct (including domestic violence) are made against a student who wishes to benefit from the Legal program, the student can only use the consultation service. If the allegations of sexual misconduct are related to academia, the student cannot use any of the program’s services.
Please note: Program lawyers will not provide any legal advice whatsoever that could be contrary to the interests of:
• Any student association in Quebec
• Any grouping of student associations in Quebec
• Studentcare
PGSS members are automatically enrolled in the Legal Care Program. See the Cost section of studentcare’s website for fee details.
If you’ve reviewed what the service has to offer and would like to opt out, you can do so by selecting “Opt out Now” on Studentcare’s website during the Change-of-Coverage & Opt-Out Period.