General legal services
Legal Aid Ontario (LAO)
Legal Aid Ontario gives people with low incomes access to a wide range of legal services. Some of these are only for people who have experienced family violence.
You can get up to 20 minutes of free general information and advice by calling:
Toll-free: 1-800-668-8258
TTY: 711
Website: legalaid.on.ca
Legal aid certificates
You can apply for a Legal aid certificate. A certificate is a document that says LAO has agreed to pay for a certain number of hours of a lawyer’s time to work on your legal issues. LAO will decide if you qualify based on your income and legal issue.
You might be able to get a certificate for different legal areas, such as refugee, immigration, child protection, family, or criminal law issues.
To apply for a certificate call LAO at 1-800-668-8258 or apply online at legalaid.on.ca/services/how-do-i-applyfor-legal-aid.
There are different financial tests for people with criminal law issues and people who experience family violence. See the income levels for family law cases at legalaid.on.ca/en/getting/eligibility.asp.
People who call LAO and say they experienced family violence are placed in a priority line for help with their application. In urgent cases, you might be able to get a certificate on the day that you apply.
If you need advice right away, you can ask a shelter, Family Court Support Worker, or community legal clinic to help you get a certificate for 2 hours of free advice from an immigration lawyer as well as a family lawyer.
LAO provides legal aid certificates for victims of family violence who have been charged with a crime if they:
- qualify financially, and
- face serious consequences if they are found guilty.
For example, you might be able to get a certificate if there is a chance you will:
- get a jail sentence
- lose decision-making responsibility for or parenting time with your children
- face immigration or refugee challenges
Family Law Offices
There are 3 Family Law Offices in Ontario that have family lawyers who represent people that qualify for a legal aid certificate. They are located in:
- Kenora: 1-888-295-4986
- Ottawa: 613-569-7448
- Thunder Bay: 1-800-393-8140
Family Law Service Centres
Family Law Service Centres provide a variety of legal resources and support to people who qualify for legal aid. This can include:
- help with documents
- referrals to advice counsel
- a staff lawyer to represent you in family law cases
- referral to a private lawyer who will take a legal aid certificate
- mediation and settlement conferences
- referrals to other social service agencies
These centres are located in Brampton, Chatham, Halton, Newmarket, North York, Oshawa, Sarnia, St. Catherines, Toronto, Welland, and Windsor. To find a centre near you, call LAO or go to legalaid.on.ca.
Family Law Information Centres
Family Law Information Centres (FLICs) are located in most Ontario courts that deal with family law matters. They provide a variety of information and services that can:
- help you understand the court process
- give you court forms
- explain how to get your own lawyer
- answer your general questions
- refer you to services and resources
Advice lawyers are also available at FLICs, at certain times. You can find a list of courthouses at ontario.ca/locations/courts.
Sexual Assault Program
If you have experienced sexual assault and live in Ontario, you might be able to get a certificate for up to 4 hours of free legal advice by phone or video.
Toll-free: 1-855-226-3904
Website: ontario.ca/page/independent-legal-advicesexual-assault-victims
Community legal clinics
Community legal clinics provide general legal advice and referrals, and represent people on many legal issues. Student Legal Service Organizations (SLSO) in law schools in Toronto, Kingston, London, Ottawa, Windsor, and Thunder Bay can also provide legal help.
To find the community legal clinic, or SLSO nearest you, call LAO or visit legalaid.on.ca.
The 519
The 519 is a community centre in Toronto for 2SLGBTQ+ people. Among other services, they have a legal clinic which offers advice and referrals to 2SLGBTQ+ people in a range of legal areas including in family law and criminal law. They help people who are victims of crimes. Fill out the intake form on their website. Leave a message if you need help filling out the intake form.
Telephone: 416-392-6874
Website: the519.org/programs/legal-clinic
Law Society Referral Service
The Law Society Referral Service is an online service that gives you the name of a lawyer in your area who will give free legal advice for up to 30 minutes in any area of law. You can ask for a lawyer who speaks your language, or a lawyer who will accept a legal aid certificate.
If you are in crisis, for example, your are being held in custody, or cannot use the online service, you can call the crisis line for a referral during normal business hours.
Toll-free crisis line: 1-855-947-5255
Website: findlegalhelp.ca
Ontario Legal Information Centre
The Ontario Legal Information Centre offers a free 30-minute virtual meeting with a lawyer to anyone in Ontario in any area of law in English or French. You may have to leave a message, and a lawyer will call you back.
Toll-free: 1-844-343-7462
Website: centreinfojuridique.ca/en
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