Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) - Family duty counsel

During the COVID-19 situation, duty counsel services are being provided by phone. Call LAO's summary advice line at 1-800-668-8258 for more information.

Family duty counsel give free legal advice to people who don’t have a lawyer on the day of their hearing and who have a low income. Family duty counsel are paid for by LAO and are at every family law court.

They can't represent you at a trial, but they can:

• give legal advice and information about the court process
• help work out an agreement
• review and help prepare court documents
• help in the courtroom for certain things like asking for your case to be postponed, and at child protection hearings and hearings related to child and spousal support
• help in hearings before a trial for issues like custody, access, child protection, or support, when the issues are not complicated
• make referrals to other sources of help, such as mediation or finding your own lawyer