Services in Ontario - Courts and partner abuse

LAO offers 2 hours of free advice with a lawyer to people who have experienced domestic violence and need immediate legal help. Ask your local shelter or community legal clinic if they offer this service or call LAO to find out more.

LAO might also pay for a lawyer to help you if you’ve been charged with assault while trying to defend yourself against your abusive partner.

If you live in Toronto, this clinic offers family legal services and support to women who are in abusive relationships or have left one. Immigration law help is available to women outside Toronto. 

Barbra Schlifer also offers free interpreter services 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. And they have a Family Court Support Worker Program (FCSWP). For other services and supports, visit their website.

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.

The Ontario Legal Information Centre offers a free 30-minute meeting with a lawyer to anyone in Ontario by telephone or in person at their Ottawa office in any area of law in English or French. You may have to leave a message, and a lawyer will call you back.

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.

JusticeNet helps people find a legal professional if their income is too high to get legal aid but too low to afford legal fees. If your net family income is less than $59,000, they refer you to an online directory of lawyers, paralegals, and mediators who provide help at reduced rates.

JusticeNet is a non-profit organization. You must register and pay a fee to use the website. They may return the fee if you don’t find a professional to work with.

The helpline is a 24-hour telephone and TTY crisis line for women who have experienced abuse. It helps women in over 200 languages, and offers counselling, support, information, and referrals to legal and community services.

You can call them or text #SAFE (#7233) on a Bell, Rogers, Fido, or Telus mobile phone.

This helpline is a 24-hour telephone service for Francophone women who have experienced abuse. It gives support, information, and referrals to legal and community services.

Family Court Support Workers help people who have experienced domestic violence and are involved in the family court process. Their services are free of charge and are available in every family court in Ontario.

They don’t give legal advice, but they can do things like:

• give information about the family court process
• help you get ready for court
• refer you to other community services and supports
• help with safety planning, such as getting to and from court safely

Services are confidential, and are available in English, French, and other languages if you ask for it.