About CLAS

Our Mission

The purpose of the Community Legal Assistance Society (CLAS) is to provide legal advice and assistance and to use and develop the law for the benefit of people who are physically, mentally, socially, economically or otherwise disadvantaged or whose human rights need protection.

Our Philosophy

CLAS believes that disadvantaged individuals and groups can best achieve their legal objectives by working together under an "umbrella" organization and sharing the limited resources available. This requires consultation, co-operation and compromise between the community, the CLAS Board and CLAS staff.

CLAS also believes in using and developing the law to help people who are disadvantaged. This is done by means of advocacy, test case litigation, law reform, and public legal education, in addition to a wide range of legal services provided to people with a low income, people with disabilities, people who have been victims of discrimination, and related groups that we work with and represent.

CLAS provides legal services through staff lawyers and advocates in our legal programs in areas of law such as poverty, workers' compensation, employment insurance, human rights, equality law, and legal issues of persons with mental illnesses and physical and mental disabilities. These services primarily benefit people receiving social assistance, old age and/or disability pensions, and those with a low income.

CLAS works in close co-operation with the Greater Vancouver Law Students' Legal Advice Society and the BC Human Rights Coalition to ensure that people with a low income, people with disabilities, and those who have been victims of discrimination are able to receive legal advice and representation.

CLAS currently has over 35 staff members operating five programs: