The Clinique Juridique Francophone d’Ottawa gives free legal advice in French to older adults living in Ottawa. They give legal advice in these areas: 

• consent and capacity 
• procedures when being discharged from hospital 
• rights in long-term care homes 
• Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, and the Guaranteed Income Supplement 
  

If you need help, you can book an appointment online or call 613-744-2892, extension 2. 

Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) has 4 free regional advice lines that give legal information and advice in French by phone to people living in:

• Greater Toronto Area
• Southwestern Ontario
• Eastern Ontario
• Northern Ontario and parts of central Ontario including Barrie, Parry Sound, and Muskoka and Kawartha Lakes regions

The advice lines do not help with family law or criminal law matters.

The Ontario Legal Information Centre offers a free 30-minute meeting with a lawyer to anyone in Ontario, online or by phone in English or French. The centre provides legal information on any legal topic, and referrals to services. Book a meeting online or call 1-844-343-7462 if you need help.

The Law Society of Ontario has an online Law Society Referral Service that gives you the name of a lawyer or licensed paralegal who will give free legal advice for up to 30 minutes in any area of law.

If you cannot wait for a lawyer or paralegal to call you back, or if you do not have a call-back number, email lsrs@lso.ca. If you’re in crisis or in custody, call 1-855-947-5255 or 416-947-5255, Monday to Friday, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The directory lists all lawyers and paralegals licensed to give legal services in Ontario. You can search by name, address or postal code, language, and area of law.

AJEFO is a group of legal professionals who promote access to justice in French. AJEFO’s services to the public include:

• the Ontario Legal Information Centre, which offers a free 30-minute meeting with a lawyer by telephone or in person at their Ottawa office in any area of law in English and French
• CliquezJustice.ca, which has legal information on many legal topics
• a member directory, where you can search for a legal professional by location and area of law

The association has an online tool to help you find a licensed paralegal. You can search by name, area of law, and location.

JusticeNet is a not-for-profit organization that can help people find legal services when their income is too high for legal aid and too low to afford legal fees. Their website has a list of lawyers, paralegals, and mediators who charge reduced fees based on your income and family size. You must register and pay a small fee to use their services.