4. Apply for a legal aid certificate

To apply for a legal aid certificate from Legal Aid Ontario (LAO), you can call LAO at 1-800-668-8258. You may also be able to use their online service.

You can use the online service if you do not own any property, like a house or land, and you:

• get payments from Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program,
• have no income,
• are new to Canada,
• are living in a shelter, or
• are in jail, a detention centre, or in prison.

If you're in jail, a detention centre, or in prison, a legal aid worker can help you apply.

If you're in hospital, a patient advocate or rights' advisor can help.

You have to tell LAO:

• the number of people in your family
• your family income, which is the total amount of money your family members make in a year
• the value of assets all your family members have

If LAO says that you qualify for a legal aid certificate based on your family income and assets, you need to send proof. You can send things like:

• pay stubs
• income tax returns
• bank statements
• information about the property your family owns

You can send your documents:

• through LAO's online service
• by fax: 1-877-750-2009 
• by mail to:
  Legal Aid Ontario
  20 Dundas Street West, Suite 730
  Toronto, ON, M5G 2H1

If you send them by fax or mail, make sure your client number is on each page.

If you send your documents by fax or mail, it can take a week or longer to find out if you can get a legal aid certificate. If you send your documents through LAO's online service, LAO may decide sooner.

Find a lawyer

If you get a legal aid certificate, you must find a lawyer who accepts certificates.

Not all lawyers work with people who have a certificate. You must find a lawyer who accepts your certificate and agrees to help you.

LAO has a list of lawyers who accept legal aid certificates.

You can search for a lawyer by:

• place,
• area of law, or
• the language they speak.

LAO usually updates their list once a year.