OCYA Information for Children & Youth

What does an LRCY lawyer do?


An LRCY lawyer is appointed to represent your views, interests and viewpoints in a child intervention legal matter.

It is their job to tell the Judge important things about what you would like to see happen, like where you would like to live. LRCY is the legal representation side of OCYA.

The lawyer will meet with you, find out what you want, keep you informed about what is going on in court, and tell you what happened after court. The lawyer may also meet with other people who are important to you, and may meet with your caseworker and other lawyers. The lawyer may read information that is written in a file or report about you. The lawyer works for you and does not take direction from your caseworker or from your parents or guardians.

If you cannot speak for yourself or are unable to make your wishes known, the lawyer takes all the information and presents it to the Court to help the Judge make a decision about what should happen.

At Court, the Judge makes a final decision based on all of the information that he/she has heard. The lawyer can only make sure that the Judge hears your side.

Call an Intake Worker if you have questions about your LRCY lawyer or if you would like to see if you could have a lawyer appointed through LRCY.
1 (800) 661-3446