Thanks to our supporters, Rise made a significant impact across BC in 2025, improving outcomes for survivors and increasing access to justice through education, training, research, and advocacy.

Learn more about how Rise is improving access to justice for women and gender diverse people through:

• Delivering responsive family law services to survivors

• Supporting front-line workers and Family Law Advocates

• Advancing family law education

• Advocating for survivors

• Publishing original research

  … and so much more.

Applying for an Exclusive Occupancy Order guide is for spouses and family law advocates seeking more information about exclusive occupancy: what it entails, how to apply, and the reasons you might want to apply.

AI for Unrepresented Parties: Minimizing Risk is a guide for anyone who wants to understand and minimize the risks of using AI for legal information, legal advice, and legal drafting.

Rise Women’s Legal Centre and West Coast LEAF jointly intervened in Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia at the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) to address the effects of myths and stereotypes about intimate partner violence in family and tort cases.

In 2024, Rise continued to grow and deepen our impact, publishing more original research, training more support workers, lawyers, and students in social work and law, and supporting more clients through our services. Discover how Rise is creating lasting change across British Columbia.

Child Support Obligations for Stepparents is a guide designed for parents, stepparents, or anyone seeking more information. It is designed to help you understand child support responsibilities for stepparents in British Columbia.

Fairness in Cross-Examination: Understanding the Rule in Browne v Dunn is a guide designed for clients as well as family law advocates and support workers assisting self-represented litigants. This guide reviews the rule in Browne v Dunn and how it applies in a family law trial.

If you are involved in a family law matter, you have certain rights under the law. However, to preserve your rights, you must pay attention to certain time limits.

Serving Supreme Court Documents in Family Law Matters, Even if the Opposing Party Cannot Be Found is a guide designed for family law advocates and support workers, who are assisting or plan to assist clients with serving Supreme Court documents.

The report takes an in-depth look at protection orders in BC and finds that, despite updates and changes to the Family Law Act, survivors of gender-based violence are still in danger. The report highlights the challenges and makes recommendations.

The report identifies opportunities to improve family law for women and gender diverse people located outside of the Lower Mainland, and calls for the government, the courts, Legal Aid BC, the Law Society of BC, lawyers, and support workers to collaborate to close gaps in access to justice.  

Read about our impact in 2023 and the new, and exciting work we are doing to advance access to justice in BC.

How do I support a client’s adjournment application is a guide designed for advocates who plan to assist clients with last-minute adjournments related to their family law matters.

Starting a family court file with the Supreme Court of British Columbia is a guide to help family law advocates and support workers support their clients to file and serve a Notice of Family Claim (NOFC)

How do I organize information for my family law case is a guide to help people organize and track information related to their family law matter.

Preparing Affidavit Evidence for BC Provincial Court is a guide to help people file affidavit evidence related to their family law matter.

This guide covers protection order basics and answers common questions clients may have while applying for protections orders. This guide does not contain legal advice and we hope is used in combination with legal advice.

The goal of this guide is to provide legal information for people who are unexpectedly pregnant outside of a long-term relationship. This guide provides legal information only and is not legal advice.

Funded by the Law Foundation of BC, this project was conducted between June and December 2023. This project sought to identify potential options for creating these safeguards, and to make recommendations to the Ministry of the Attorney General, which is currently undertaking the Family Law Act Modernization Project.

2022 was a year of continued growth for Rise, with new positions increasing our capacity to help women and gender diverse people throughout the province. We saw a significant increase in people seeking services, and Rise was able to assist a record number, 2,172.

This guide was created to help people understand when they might be able to access family property to help cover the costs of their legal proceedings.