Members may apply for the rebate until September 23
The Law Society of British Columbia has opened applications to the one-time practice fee rebate pilot program designed to help lawyers who are struggling financially.
Law Society benchers greenlit the program in September 2025. The organization released applications via the member portal on July 27.
To qualify for the program, members must meet the following criteria:
- Be a current member in good standing
- Been a practising member at any time in 2025
- Settled applicable 2025 practice fees
- Report a total income of $65,000 or less on line 15000 in their 2025 T1 income tax return
Members may apply for the program until September 13. Rebate amounts will be calculated once all eligible applications have been rounded up.
Those accepted into the program will be granted the lesser of the standard rebate amount or their 2025 practice fees paid, up to a maximum of $1,000. Applicants with practising membership for the whole of 2025 will generally get the standard rebate amount while those with only partial practising memberships for 2025 will receive a rebate based on practice fees paid.
Rebates will be issued in October as credits towards qualified members’ 2027 annual fee billing invoice. Lawyers transitioning to non-practicing or retired status next year may ask for the rebate to applied towards their 2027 annual fee for non-practicing or retired memberships. The remaining amount will then be refunded by cheque.
Those who can receive rebates will be advised via email no later than October 15. Rebate refunds may be requested on the application form; these will be issued in November.
Lawyers who meet the eligibility criteria but have been suspended will only be able to access applications once their suspensions have been served. Moreover, lawyers whose practice fees were paid by someone else may still apply for the program.
Rebates may be regarded as taxable benefits; if this is the case, the LSBC will communicate with applicants to get the information needed for tax reporting purposes and issue a T4A.
Once the program has ended, it will be evaluated to determine whether a future program is feasible and viable. Future programs must be approved by benchers and would be financed through an increase in annual practice fees.
