In-house legal support
In-house legal support refers to the legal help an organization gets from lawyers and legal staff on its own payroll. It covers routine work such as drafting and reviewing contracts, compliance, corporate records and coordinating litigation with outside counsel. Lawyers in the team must be licensed, and other staff must work under their supervision.
How BC law treats it
In BC, only lawyers licensed by the Law Society of British Columbia, and others within limited authorized scopes, may practise law under the Legal Profession Act, SBC 1998 c 9. In-house lawyers' legal advice is privileged in the same way as outside counsel's.
What it means for your business
Strong in-house support helps a BC business spot legal risk early and manage outside legal costs.
Risks and common mistakes
Relying on non-lawyer staff to give legal advice without supervision exposes the business to errors and unauthorized practice concerns.
For the full explanation, see our entry on In-house counsel.
General information about British Columbia and Canadian law, current to October 2026. It is not legal advice.
