Second chair program

Hands-on learning for new and less experienced lawyers, and paid mentorship opportunities for experienced lawyers

The Second Chair program gives new and less experienced lawyers the opportunity to learn from experienced lawyers while working on legal aid certificate cases.

A lawyer may act as a “second chair” on a case to provide support, guidance, and hands-on training. This helps lawyers build skills and experience so they can better serve low-income clients.

The program is available for lawyers working on Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) certificate cases.

Funding is limited each fiscal year. Applications are assessed as they are received, so lawyers are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

A second chair certificate may be issued to either a mentor or a mentee, depending on who will act as second chair on the case.

To apply for the case-by-case program, please fill out the mentor or mentee application form.

Types of second chair opportunities

1. Case-by-case program

LAO approves some second chair opportunities on a case-by-case basis.

Who can apply?

• New or less experienced lawyers (mentees)
• If you are working on a challenging legal aid case and would benefit from guidance from an experienced lawyer, you can apply to have that lawyer act as second chair.
• If your application is approved, the experienced lawyer will be paid for their work as second chair.
• Experienced lawyers (mentors)
• If you are working on a legal aid case that would provide a valuable learning opportunity, you can apply to have a new or less experienced lawyer act as second chair.
• If your application is approved, the less experienced lawyer will be paid for their work as second chair.

Equity and inclusion

The program welcomes applications from lawyers who are members of equity-seeking groups. This supports the goals of LAO’s racialized communities strategy, as well as recommendations from the Law Society of Ontario and the Criminal Lawyers’ Association on mentorship and retention of women and members of equity-seeking groups in the legal profession.

Mentorship arrangements

The program does not pair or maintain mentor-mentee partnerships. Participating lawyers are responsible for establishing and maintaining their own mentoring relationships.

Mentorship may take place:

• within the same firm; or
• between lawyers from different firms.

How applications are assessed

Applications for the case-by-case program are assessed based on:

• whether the case provides a valuable learning opportunity;
• the mentor’s experience in the relevant area of law and mentoring experience; and
• the mentee’s commitment to learning and experience in the relevant area of law.

For more information, see the mentor, mentee, and case criteria.

To apply, complete either the mentor or mentee application form.

2. Pre-approved mentor program

For small to medium-sized cases in a range of practice areas.

The pre-approved mentor program allows experienced lawyers to receive advance approval for a set number of mentoring hours.

The program is available for lawyers working on small to medium-sized legal aid cases in areas such as:

• family law;
• refugee law;
• mental health law; and
• criminal law.

For Big Case Management matters, please apply through the case-by-case program.

Experienced lawyers may be sole practitioners or members of firms. They must be willing to mentor less experienced lawyers from outside their firm.

Lawyers who are approved for the program receive a set number of second chair hours that can be used across multiple cases. This removes the need to apply separately for approval for each case.

Role of the mentor

Pre-approved mentors have flexibility to determine:

• which cases provide the best learning opportunities;
• how mentoring will be delivered; and
• which LAO lawyers would benefit most from mentoring.

Who can apply?

Experienced lawyers who:

• have experience mentoring or providing continuing legal education; and
• work on legal aid cases that offer meaningful learning opportunities for less experienced lawyers.

How payment works

To receive payment, the pre-approved mentor must report to LAO:

• the type of case; and
• the number of mentoring hours that will be used.

LAO will then issue a second chair certificate with the authorized number of hours.

The certificate will be issued to the lawyer who does not already hold a certificate for that matter.

Mentoring may begin before a second chair certificate is issued. However, LAO billing rules require mentors to submit a report and obtain a certificate within 30 days of starting the mentoring relationship.

To request a certificate, mentors must submit a completed reporting form.

To apply, complete the pre-approved mentor application form.