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→Free and lower-cost options
Generally, people have to pay for their mediator, collaborative lawyer, arbitrator, or parenting coordinator. Sometimes these specialists charge on a sliding scale, but often the fees they charge will be in the neighbourhood of $200 to $400 per hour and up. They will also usually require the parties to pay significant retainers in advance. (A ''retainer'' is money paid to a lawyer as a deposit against the fees they will charge in the future.) These costs are the major challenge involved in getting access to legal assistance. The reality is that many people do not have the money to pay these fees or have a limited budget in which to work. Here is a list of services that may be able to assist:
For more information on unbundled legal services, see the website of the [https://unbundlinglaw.peopleslawschool.ca/ People's Law School]. For more information about retainers and how lawyers usually charge for their services, see the [[You_%26_Your_Lawyer|You and Your Lawyer]] section in the chapter on [[Understanding the Legal System]].