Services in Ontario

Temporary programs

Find help in your community

Ontario Paralegal Association

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

Website

opaonline.ca

Contact Information

Phone: 416-944-1020

Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) – Immigration/Refugee services

The Legal Aid Ontario refugee law program has changed as of April 2019. If you are a legal service provider and you would like more information on our current program, visit their interim refugee law services page.

If you are in Ontario, Legal Aid Ontario may be able to help if:

  • you want to apply for refugee status and you need help with your basis of claim form
  • your request for refugee status (called a refugee claim) was rejected and you want to appeal
  • you want to apply for a judicial review. This is a request you can make to the Federal Court of Canada if Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada or the Immigration and Refugee Board made a decision you do not agree with.
  • you are a particularly vulnerable client. This means you or your family have a special case. For example, you are 17 years old or younger and you have not parent or legal guardian in Canada, you are in a detention centre, or you have a mental health condition.

You have to qualify financially for these services.

Website

legalaid.on.ca/en/getting/type_immigration.asp

Contact Information

Toll-free: 1-800-668-8258 TTY: 711

Francophone legal advice lines

LAO has 4 free regional advice lines that can give legal information and advice in French over the telephone to people living in:

  • Eastern Ontario
  • Northern Ontario, and parts of central Ontario including:

    • Barrie
    • Parry Sound
    • Muskoka and Kawartha Lakes regions
  • Greater Toronto Area
  • Southwestern Ontario

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

Law Society of Ontario – Lawyer and Paralegal Directory

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. You can also search for services offered in French and for unbundled services.

Legal clinics

Legal Aid Ontario funds legal clinics across Ontario. There are two types of legal clinics: community legal clinics and specialty legal clinics.

Community legal clinics provide free legal services to people with low incomes who live in their area. Search for the clinic in your area using your postal code. Most help with:

  • income assistance
  • tenant rights
  • employment problems

Some clinics can help with immigration and refugee problems or debt and consumer problems.

Some specialty legal clinics provide free legal services to specific groups of people with low incomes:

Some specialty legal clinics provide free legal services in only certain areas of law:

Website

legalaid.on.ca/services/legal-clinics

Contact Information

Phone: 416-979-1446 Toll-free: 1-800-668-8258 TTY: 416-598-8867 Toll-free TTY: 1-866-641-8867

Ontario Legal Information Centre

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. They provide legal information on any legal topic, and referrals to services.  Book a meeting online or call 1-844-343-7462 if you need help.

Website

centreinfojuridique.ca/en

Contact Information

Toll-free: 1-844-343-7462

JusticeNet

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 the size of your family. You must register and pay a small fee to use their services.

Website

justicenet.ca

Law Society Referral Service

The Law Society of Ontario has on 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 can’t wait for a legal representative to call you back, or if you don’t have a call-back number, email lsrs@lso.ca. Or, 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.

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