Summary legal advice

Get legal advice and information by phone at no cost

Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) offers general legal information and advice over the phone through our summary legal advice services.

Call us at 1-800-668-8258, Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (EST).

Please note that summary legal advice services are for family and criminal matters only.

What is summary legal advice?

Our summary legal advice services connect you with a legal professional who can:

• Offer legal information, guidance, and advice
• Provide general information about court procedures and documents
• Review legal options available to you
• Explain the next steps to move your case forward
• Suggest community services that may help you

• Refer you to an LAO service that is suitable for the next step in your case, such as our:

  • Legal aid certificate program
  • Duty counsel services
  • Family Law Service Centre

Please note that summary legal advice services are different from receiving a legal aid certificate. LAO staff can assess whether a legal aid certificate or an alternative service is more suitable for you.

How does summary legal advice work?

Call us to speak with one of our agents about your legal issue and eligibility for summary legal advice.

Please have your legal documents on hand when you call us, such as the court documents you were served with, or a copy of your last court order.

If you are eligible for summary legal advice services, LAO will either:

• Arrange a call back from a legal professional.

  • They will call you between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. from a private number
  • We advise taking a picture of your legal documents using your phone so that you have your documents readily on hand when you receive our call.

Or we will:

• Immediately transfer you to speak on the phone directly with a legal professional.

  • This service is only for those experiencing exceptional or emergency circumstances.
  • A direct transfer to a legal professional is for family matters only.

Eligibility

Our agents will ask about your legal and financial situation to determine if you are eligible for summary legal advice and how we can help. Please call us to determine whether you meet our criteria.

Legal eligibility

All callers can receive general legal information from one of our legal professionals, such as information about:

• the law
• forms
• court processes
• referrals to community supports and other services

To receive specific information or advice from a lawyer to help with your unique situation, you must meet LAO’s legal and financial eligibility criteria.

Summary legal advice is for those with family and criminal matters only.

If you have a criminal matter

Our criminal summary legal advice services are for those looking for information or advice about:

• First appearance or any court appearances, including charge resolution (plea, sentencing, diversion)
• How to connect with duty counsel
• Transferring charges to another jurisdiction
• Consequences of various sentences

If you have a family matter

Our family summary legal advice services include information or advice about:

• Options for resolving family matters
• Domestic violence
• Decision-making responsibility and parenting time
• Child support
• Going to family court

Please note that the list above is not exhaustive. Call us to learn if your family legal matter meets our legal criteria for summary legal advice.

Financial eligibility

You may be required to meet the following financial criteria to qualify for summary legal advice services:

Effective March 3, 2025, the asset threshold is $15,000 regardless of family size.

We understand that your individual situation may be unique and complex, and not all cases are required to meet the legal and financial criteria listed above to be granted summary legal advice services.

Please call us to help us understand your legal needs, and we can determine whether summary legal advice is right for you.