Even before Rise Women's Legal Centre threw open its doors for the first time earlier this week the phone was already ringing with requests for help.

"It's not surprising at all," said Kim Hawkins, executive director of Rise. "There's just a lot of need out there."

The centre, located on Broadway near Cambie Street, is unique in B.C. — a free and full service legal clinic that aims to serve low income women; primarily in family law matters like child custody, protection orders and spousal support.

Hawkins says the acute need for an organization like Rise stems from almost 15 years of devastating cuts to the legal aid system in B.C., amounting to a 40 per cent reduction in funding.

That means currently only the most high conflict cases — usually involving domestic violence — and the most low income women qualify for help, leaving many more without access to justice.

Legal aid cuts hurt women most

"Women have a particular need to access legal services," said Hawkins. "We know about the gaps in pay equity which leads to a situation where it's more likely they can't afford private counsel. But also the cuts have been in areas that are more likely to impact women, like family law."

Hawkins is one of two staff lawyers at Rise who will work alongside four senior UBC law students. The organization is the brainchild of the West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF), which has partnered with UBC's Allard School of Law. One major donor who wishes to remain anonymous is providing a large portion of the funding.

Kasari Govender, executive director of West Coast LEAF, says that in launching Rise her organization has made the strategic move from advocating for better legal aid for women, to taking front-line action.

More to lose

"Women are lower income and less likely to be able to afford counsel," said Govender. "If they're splitting up from a heterosexual relationship their male partners often can afford counsel when they can't. Women are more likely to be fleeing violence and more likely to be the primary caregivers of their children. So they have more to lose when they go into family law proceedings."

Currently anyone who qualifies for legal aid in B.C. has a 25 hour billing limit. As well, legal aid is primarily delivered through individual private lawyers and women may not be getting the type of representation or expertise they need.

"The dynamic of family violence and serving women traumatized by violence — they won't necessarily get targeted, directed service in a run-of-the-mill legal practice," said Govender.