4. Find a French lawyer or paralegal
Question & Answer
Can I have my provincial offences trial in French?Here are some ways to find a lawyer or paralegal that speaks French to help you with your provincial offences proceeding:
The Association of French-Speaking Jurists of Ontario
The Association des juristes d’expression française (AJEFO) has a directory of French-speaking lawyers. You can search the directory by name, area of law, and city.
The Ontario Legal Information Centre phone line
The Ontario Legal Information Centre offers a free 30-minute meeting with a lawyer to any person faced with a legal situation in Ontario. You can call 1-844-343-7462 to speak with a lawyer about any area of law in English or French. You may have to leave a message, and a lawyer will call you back.
Phone lines
Legal Aid Ontario has Francophone legal advice lines to give legal information and advice in French to people living in:
- Northern Ontario: 1‑877‑687‑2847
- Eastern Ontario: 1‑877‑500‑4508
- Greater Toronto Area: 1‑877‑966‑7345
- Southwestern Ontario: 1‑855‑650‑9716
Law Society of Ontario Directory
The Law Society of Ontario has a Directory of all lawyers and paralegals in Ontario. You can search the directory for legal practitioners who offer services in French.
Law Society Referral Service
The Law Society Referral Service gives you the name of a lawyer or paralegal in your area who can talk to you for up to 30 minutes for free. You can ask for a legal representative who speaks French.
You don’t have to hire the lawyer or paralegal you get referred to. But you can’t ask for a second referral for the same legal problem.
Paralegal Association
The Ontario Paralegal Association (OPA) has a tool called “Find a Paralegal” at the bottom of their homepage. You can search for a paralegal by name, keywords, area of practice, and location.
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.
