2. Fill out your court forms - Steps to Justice

If talking to your lawyer or paralegal did not help, and you want to take them to court, you have to fill out court forms. The forms you fill depend on whether you hired a lawyer or a paralegal.

Paralegal

If the amount you want to your paralegal for is below $50,000, you must sue them in .

The section on Small Claims Court can guide you through the process of making a claim, filing it online, changing or stopping your claim. There's also information on how to enforce a court and get help in Small Claims Court.

If the amount you want to sue your paralegal for is more than $50,000, you must start a case in the (SCJ). It's very hard to do this without a lawyer. If you want to sue in SCJ, you should try to get legal help.

The rest of the information in this question is about dealing with a lawyer's bill.

Lawyer

Each Superior Court of Justice (SCJ) courthouse has a different process to ask to have a lawyer's bill reviewed. You will usually have to fill out:

a Form RR0288: Requisition for Assessment – Client’s Application
an Form RR0279: Order for Assessment – Client’s Application, and attach copies of your lawyer's bills
a Form RR0334: Notice of Appointment for Assessment

If you're not sure which SCJ you have to go to, call a court office and they will help you.

Filing in person

After filling out your forms, take them to your SCJ to have them . This means the will sign, date, and stamp your forms. The court clerk will also give you a date. This date will be on your Notice of Appointment for Assessment.

At some SCJ courthouses, you may have to fill out and give the court a Notice of Pre-Assessment Hearing first. Some SCJ courthouses have a different name for this form. You have to do this before filing a Notice of Appointment for Assessment. Court staff can help you with this.

Filing online

You can send your forms to the court online. If you're in Toronto, use the Ontario Public Courts Portal. If you're not in Toronto, use the Justice Services Online Portal. Read more in the Government of Ontario's guide on how to send court documents online.

Pay court fees

You have to pay a fee of $105. If you cannot afford to pay the fee, you can apply for a fee waiver. If you get a waiver, it means that you do not have to pay most court fees.

The Ministry of the Attorney General’s website has more information about fee waivers.