Grande Prairie lawyers are helping low-income individuals seeking legal advice by opening a clinic offering free service in the city.

Grande Prairie Legal Guidance was made a reality with the help of Pro Bono Law Alberta (PBLA), the Community Village, and local lawyers.

"The people that are using this Grande Prairie Legal Guidance, I think, would never have the abilities to retain their own lawyer on a private retainer," said Derek Van Tassell, local lawyer and PBLA committee member.

"It's something that the least fortunate members of society now have somewhere they can go, because it's hard if you have no money to call a law firm and say, 'hey I'd like to have a sit down meeting with you.' "

Van Tassell said legal aid and the John Howard Society provide similar services, but the new clinic supplements the options available.

The clinic opened earlier this month and will be available twice a month with the help of about 15 volunteer lawyers donating their time to meet with clients, giving legal advice and information.

"We just try to steer them in the right direction," said Van Tassell.

"Some of the people we see at the pro bono clinic, they just need guidance more than ongoing representation. So they get to come in and we try to give them some direction on their concerns."

Lawyers will offer advice on legal cases, landlord/tenant issues, employment, debt/contract, traffic, wills and estates, and summary criminal matters - but they won't represent clients in court.

"The only thing it's not really providing advice on right now is family law. We may expand that, but we just figured that if we started with family law it would be overwhelmed with calls," said Van Tassell.

"If we find that we've got some extra spots, we may expand it down the road."

Clients with legal needs will be pre-screened to ensure the case has legal merit and to check if they meet the income criteria.

Individuals will then receive a half-hour of free consultation from one of three lawyers available each session. Meetings are by appointment only and the next clinic date is Dec. 6.

The clinic is open on Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Community Village.