Legal Aid Ontario engages in public consultations to better understand the needs of our clients and enhance service delivery. Notices of upcoming consultations and information about those that have closed are available here.
You can now also subscribe to LAO’s Consultation Registry to receive email alerts about upcoming consultations.
Last updated July 27, 2021
Overview Updating the way we pay lawyers is an important part of modernizing Ontario’s legal aid system, makes LAO more responsive to community needs, and puts our clients at the centre of everything we do. Since December 2020 we have been collecting feedback through online…
Last updated January 21, 2021
New framework for the delivery of legal aid services by community legal clinics Overview With the passing of the Legal Aid Services Act, 2020, LAO must implement a clear framework for the delivery of legal aid services by community legal clinics serving communities throughout…
Last updated December 23, 2019
Case management and tariff pre-authorization Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) plans to reach out to Ontario’s criminal and family lawyers for feedback on two proposed initiatives: Case management, which will give LAO an opportunity to provide members of the bar with budgets on some…
Last updated December 23, 2019
The paper, Clinic Law Services Strategic Direction, outlines the key objectives and principles that will underpin how the future of clinic law will be further developed to ensure the best possible client service in the most cost-effective ways. The paper outlines four overriding…
Last updated May 13, 2020
LAO has released a discussion paper that proposes to fund clinics’ annual leasing and leasehold improvement costs based on the 2013 Ministry of Infrastructure Realty Policy space standards. This is a new funding model for clinic lease and leasehold improvement costs, and…
Last updated February 2, 2021
Overview This consultation explored ways the legal aid system can become more client-focused and efficient. Through this process, and building on LAO’s strategic plan, we, together with service providers, aim to make the legal aid system more innovative, accessible and…
Last updated December 23, 2019
Overview Since 2016, Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) has been meeting with legal aid applicants and clients, lawyers, community legal clinics and other community agencies to talk about issues faced by racialized communities when trying to get the legal services they need. Key documents…
Last updated December 23, 2019
Refugee law services transformation feedback – February 2013 Between Feb. 21 and Mar. 11, 2013, LAO is asking the refugee bar and stakeholders for their feedback on its proposed new refugee law services delivery model. LAO developed this new model in light of Bill C-31 and…
Last updated December 23, 2019
Discretion Consultation Discretion is a compensation tool that allows Legal Aid Ontario to approve, in exceptional circumstances, lawyers’ written requests for additional compensation above the hourly tariff rate. Lawyers who represent vulnerable clients, manage complex…
Last updated December 23, 2019
In July 2016, Legal Aid Ontario updated the clinic performance measures examples and charts document to provide more definitions and descriptions for the performance measures. Performance measures examples of charts and reports, updated July 2016 In October 2015, Legal Aid…
Last updated March 28, 2019
As a requirement under the Broader Public Sector Executive Compensation Act, 2014 (BPSEC), Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) is developing an Executive Compensation Framework. The BPSEC establishes requirements that designated public sector employers must meet when setting executive…
Last updated May 13, 2020
The purpose of this consultation is to initiate discussions with clinics on how to improve the effectiveness and accountability of interpretation and translation services. Key documents Discussion Paper on Multilanguage Interpretation and Translation Services for Clinics and…
Last updated December 23, 2019
LAO’s board has approved new general and appellate standards. Documents General standard Last updated: May 2015 General standard for Refugee Protection Division and Immigration Appeal Division work, as well as detention reviews and applications for humanitarian and…
Last updated December 5, 2019
Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) plans to reach out to a broad range of organizations, stakeholders and individuals across Ontario for feedback on delivery of refugee law services. This review is an important component of LAO’s ongoing modernization strategy, to help ensure quality…
Last updated February 11, 2020
Overview: LAO has committed to developing a multi-year, multi-faceted, province-wide domestic violence strategy that will build upon the services and supports that LAO already has in place. The strategy will enable LAO to: better identify and prioritize the complex intersecting…
Last updated December 23, 2019
Individuals in the mental health system are a particularly vulnerable group. As part of Legal Aid Ontario’s Mental Health Strategy, a program will be introduced to expand the availability of certificates and hours for appeals from decisions of the Consent and Capacity Board…
Last updated December 2, 2019
A discussion paper “Open Government at Legal Aid Ontario: Promoting transparency and accountability in Ontario’s justice system” was released publicly by LAO in April 2016. The purpose of this consultation paper was to promote Ontario’s open government…
Last updated December 23, 2019
Overview Between May 23 and June 16, 2017, Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) held a series of in-person and online consultations sessions to address the possible need to temporarily suspend some refugee services. LAO asked for feedback and ideas on what the organization could do to achieve…
