Heather Hui-Litwin, Founder of Litigation Help
Many people go through lawsuits not knowing very much about the law, or how the legal system works. After all, you trust your lawyer to guide you through everything.
But what happens if you run out of money, and must go through the court system yourself?
If you understand even just the basics of how the court system works, your decisions will be that much more informed.
Litigation Help was created by Heather Hui-Litwin. She has been both a self-represented litigant, as well as a traditional client in a lawsuit before becoming a lawyer. She believes that all too often, people don’t understand enough about the legal system works to engage in it efficiently. Litigation Help is created to address the public’s gap in legal knowledge.
Since 2019, Heather has worked with experienced legal professionals (lawyers, mediators, paralegal) to produce practical and easy to understand videos on court procedure.
The link to our Youtube channel is youtube.com/litigationhelp
Access to Justice
“We have wonderful justice for corporations and for the wealthy. But the middle class and the poor may not be able to access our justice system.” – Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, University of Toronto conference, 2011.
If you are thinking of suing someone, or if you are being sued, you should retain a lawyer to represent you. However, when typical hourly rates are often in excess of $300 per hour, retaining a lawyer could be an unaffordable luxury!
The inability to afford representation means many plaintiffs must live with the wrong they have suffered. Defendants are forced to give up, even when they have a meritorious defence. For some, there is no option but to litigate on their own.
Even though it is a fundamental right to be self-represented, the reality is that the legal system is so complex that it can effectively preclude anyone from exercising this right, unless you have legal training.
Civil justice should be available to everyone, regardless of wealth. My goal is to improve access to justice for everyone, by promoting limited scope retainer service or unbundled practices to lawyers and litigants, as well as provide public education on litigation to everyone.
Heather’s Story
Unlike most lawyers, my legal training began as a client. My husband and I were parties in a lawsuit. We retained a lawyer initially.However, due to the mounting costs, we decided to represent ourselves. Although I was already a law student at that time, I found navigating through the legal system to be challenging.
I discovered quite early during practice that law school does not teach you enough to be a fully effective lawyer! As a result of this experience, I am determined to help others who are forced to represent themselves.
Heather’s CV in Brief
1996 Ph.D. Chemistry, University of Toronto. Thesis “The determination of the molecular orientation in LB layers using polarized FTIR-ATR spectroscopy”
https://bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/oclc/46505219
2011 Juris Doctor, Osgoode Hall Law School.
2012 Called to Ontario Bar
2018 Master of Laws, University of Toronto. Thesis “The Role of The Judge in Wrongful Convictions: R v Mullins-Johnson”
Click below to access (University of Toronto’s T Space)
https://hdl.handle.net/1807/91764
Mentions
Heather Hui-Litwin Access to Justice All Stars, NSRLP https://representingyourselfcanada.com/access-to-justice-all-star-heather-hui-litwin/
https://www.youtube.com/LitigationHelp
Email: legalnavigators@gmail.com
Muhammed Celik, Legal Research Assistant
Muhammed is currently a second-year JD student at Osgoode Hall Law School and a first-generation law student. He brings professionalism, attention to detail, strong analytical skills, and a commitment to excellence to his work. Growing up in a low-income immigrant family showed him how difficult it can be to navigate public institutions while facing financial constraints and language barriers. As a legal research assistant with Litigation Help, he develops plain-language resources to help self-represented litigants understand and navigate the court system. Through this work, he hopes to create practical legal tools that make the justice system more accessible to those who need them most.
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank a number of people, who have supported me in these projects. The very first person I’d like to mention is my friend, Blaine Horrocks. He has patiently listened to me talk about my lawsuit throughout the years. He is also the one who came up with the name “Litigation Help.” He gave me the much needed support to start my career in access to justice.
I’m also hugely grateful to the following individuals who have appeared as guests on videos as well participated in Toronto Public Library seminars: Shmuel Stern, Samuel Michaels, John-Paul Boyd, Laura Tarcea, Eva Di Giammarino, Thomas Kurys, Dan Rosman, Justice Janis Criger, Helena Birt, Heather Douglas and Mick Hassell.
Finally, we want to thank you for your support. Keep us inspired by sending feedback to us, or subscribing and sharing our videos and this website! Together, we can make a positive difference!
Letters from Supporters
October 13, 2026
Hello Heather,
I am writing as a fellow self represented litigant and for the past year and a half I have diligently worked on several of my own matters in Alberta Court of Justice Civil Division. As a former legal assistant, I consider myself someone who has fair amount of knowledge in this field and yet, I find myself wishing there were more resources available to SLRs. The current materials provided by the courts are not user friendly and lack user friendly guides that properly explain the processes and terminology in plain English. There is no public facing civil procedure manual, the instructions to fill out forms are sparse and ambiguous. The barrier to justice an average SLRs is monumental . In my own experience I’ve found the process full of outdated procedures, no clear cut answers and definitely no support during this process. The entire process that is meant to be accessible for all is complex, frustrating, stressful and disheartening to say the least. Despite these challenges though much like you I remain committed to seeking justice. The resources provided, on your site and your canlii tricks and tips have been very useful to me. Your story really resonates with me as I would also like to pursue furthering my education and becoming a lawyer one day too! Any leads mentorship opportunities or ways to get involved within the self represented community are gladly welcomed!