LAO update: summer 2019 edition
Published: September 30, 2019
A quarterly update on Legal Aid Ontario’s latest access to justice initiatives
Message from the CEO
It has been another busy quarter at LAO.
During the summer 2019, we conducted public consultations and continued to work on the changes necessary to shape a sustainable future and adapt to LAO’s new financial envelope.
In August, to inform modernization efforts, we held a series of roundtables to hear from staff and stakeholders around the province.
That same month, one-time funding of $25.7 million from the federal government allowed us to restore immigration and refugee services for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Other significant developments in the second quarter included:
- a shift to a new district organizational structure closely matching Ontario Court of Justice judicial districts
- an upgrade of the PeopleSoft software, critical to the technology LAO relies on to serve our clients and pay our service providers
- the unveiling of our new accessibility policy and training, in line with our duty under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)
I look forward to keeping staff and stakeholders up to date on the latest developments at LAO in this and future reports.
Sincerely,
David Field
President and CEO
Legal Aid Ontario
Updates
- New district structure for LAO
- September 16, 2019
LAO moved to a new district structure that very closely matches the Ontario Court of Justice (OCJ) judicial districts. - Legal Aid Ontario restores immigration and refugee services
- August 16, 2019
Further to the federal government’s August 12, 2019 announcement of $25.7 million in one‑time funding for immigration and refugee services, Legal Aid Ontario is fully restoring services in these areas for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Client services
Intake, triage and support services
LAO offers intake, triage and support services to people applying for legal aid, existing legal aid clients and lawyers who provide legal services on behalf of Legal Aid Ontario.
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- Call centre–Tier 1
Agents in Tier 1 of LAO’s call centre can help assess service needs and provide information about qualifying for legal aid. Their responsibilities include, but are not limited to: triage, making referrals, performing status checks and updating client profiles. - Call centre–Tier 2
Tier 2 agents conduct an in‑depth analysis of a client’s legal needs, financial situation and case details to determine eligibility for legal aid services. Their responsibilities include, but are not limited to: processing applications, issuing certificates, making referrals, and providing enhanced public legal information.
- Call centre–Tier 1
Call centre–In‑custody
LAO also offers a service dedicated to helping people who are incarcerated across the province. Staff take calls directly from inmates to determine legal aid eligibility, process applications and issue certificates as well as conduct status checks on submitted applications.
- Call centre–Lawyers
Lawyers who do legal aid work can contact the call centre for information on, including but not limited to: tariff, billing, account status and technical support. This group serves as a first point of contact for most lawyers’ enquiries.
Persons assisted for intake, triage and support
Click here to download image.| Persons assisted for intake, triage and support | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | |
| Phone: Tier 1 | 63,187 | 76,566 | 70,156 | 73,498 | 68,281 | 76,534 | 74,457 | 73,473 |
| Phone: Tier 2 | 24,235 | 23,152 | 26,614 | 29,117 | 27,254 | 28,709 | 28,105 | 28,742 |
| Phone: In‑custody clients | 7,693 | 7,437 | 8,194 | 9,066 | 8,462 | 9,120 | 9,391 | 9,532 |
| Phone: Lawyer Service Centre | 11,942 | 12,061 | 11,571 | 11,106 | 10,914 | 10,639 | 10,598 | 9,866 |
Duty counsel services
Duty counsel are LAO staff and per diem lawyers in courthouses. They can give immediate legal assistance to low‑income people who would otherwise be unrepresented and unassisted.
Number of people assisted by duty counsel
Click here to download image.| Persons assisted | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | |
| Criminal law | 120,842 | 138,453 | 112,419 | 121,721 | 131,619 | 150,401 | 129,421 | 124,309 |
| Civil law1 | 33,403 | 42,105 | 31,785 | 33,345 | 34,700 | 38,233 | 31,890 | 25,398 |
| Total | 154,245 | 180,558 | 144,204 | 155,066 | 166,319 | 188,634 | 161,311 | 149,707 |
[1] This category consists largely of people assisted in family law courts
Certificate program
LAO staff working at courthouses or on the phone assess whether an individual qualifies for legal help from LAO, and what kind of legal help they qualify for. A formal application is then created, and, if approved, a certificate is issued. Certificates state the type of service and length of time, as LAO will pay for a lawyer to complete the service based on the typical amount of work required.
Certificate application outcomes
Click here to download image.| Certificate application outcomes | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | |
| Approved | 24,938 | 25,451 | 27,794 | 27,448 | 27,492 | 28,854 | 26,687 | 25,389 |
| Refused | 3,171 | 3,192 | 3,624 | 3,369 | 3,373 | 3,658 | 3,530 | 3,133 |
| Other2 | 1,580 | 1,347 | 1,504 | 1,502 | 1,653 | 1,721 | 1,689 | 1,529 |
| Total outcomes recorded | 29,689 | 29,990 | 32,922 | 32,319 | 32,518 | 34,233 | 31,906 | 30,051 |
[2] Application outcomes labelled as “Other” are often of an administrative nature and can include: referrals to other service providers, applications withdrawn by the client, or instances when an application was created in error.
Length of time to determine application outcome
Click here to download image.| Length of time to determine application outcome | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | |
| Same day | 20,601 | 20,958 | 23,015 | 22,755 | 22,757 | 24,006 | 22,039 | 21,186 |
| 1 to 7 days | 2,403 | 2,458 | 2,836 | 2,929 | 2,786 | 3,713 | 3,556 | 3,205 |
| 7 to 14 days | 1,618 | 1,538 | 1,781 | 1,664 | 1,861 | 1,529 | 1,573 | 1,423 |
| 14 to 30 days | 2,307 | 2,183 | 2,538 | 2,327 | 2,475 | 2,182 | 2,249 | 1,949 |
| Over 30 days | 2,760 | 2,853 | 2,752 | 2,644 | 2,639 | 2,803 | 2,489 | 2,288 |
| Total outcomes recorded | 29,689 | 29,990 | 32,922 | 32,319 | 32,518 | 34,233 | 31,906 | 30,051 |
| % same‑day decisions | 69.40% | 69.90% | 69.90% | 70.40% | 70.00% | 70.10% | 69.10% | 70.50% |
Certificates approved by area of law
Click here to download image.| Certificates approved by area of law | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | |
| Criminal law | 13,714 | 14,053 | 14,953 | 14,506 | 15,020 | 15,929 | 15,333 | 14,610 |
| Family law | 6,409 | 6,411 | 7,473 | 7,398 | 6,945 | 7,585 | 6,942 | 5,969 |
| Immigration and refugee law | 3,493 | 3,628 | 3,968 | 4,123 | 4,186 | 3,904 | 3,029 | 3,400 |
| Other3 | 1,322 | 1,359 | 1,400 | 1,421 | 1,341 | 1,436 | 1,383 | 1,410 |
| Total | 24,938 | 25,451 | 27,794 | 27,448 | 27,492 | 28,854 | 26,687 | 25,389 |
[3] Other is a category that represents all other legal matters covered by LAO certificates, such as: CCB matters, prison law matters and matters before civil tribunals.
Performance measures
| Key Performance Indicator (KPI) name | Measurement frequency | Last measured | Target | Previous year (2018/19) | Q2 2019/20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % of area office appeals heard within 3 days | Quarterly | Q1 2019/20 | 80.0% | 59.5% | 55.4% |
| % of calls answered within 3 minutes (L1) | Quarterly | Q1 2019/20 | 80.0% | 70.0% | 53.0% |
| % of calls answered within 3 minutes (LSC) | Quarterly | Q1 2019/20 | 80.0% | 84.0% | 96.0% |
| % of calls answered within 3 minutes (In‑custody) | Quarterly | Q1 2019/20 | 80.0% | 64.0% | 66.0% |
| % of calls answered within 20 minutes (L2) | Quarterly | Q1 2019/20 | 80.0% | 63.0% | 70.0% |
| Overall client satisfaction ‑ % of positive responses (email) | Annual | Q4 2018/19 | 80.0% | 80.7% | 80.7% |
| Overall lawyer satisfaction ‑ % of positive responses | Annual | Q3 2018/19 | 60.0% | 52.0% | 52.0% |
LAO statement of operations
| Revenue | PY YTD actual Sept. 2018 ($M) | PY YTD actual Sept. 2019 ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | ||
| Government funding | $220.0 | $183.7 |
| Law Foundation | $34.0 | $51.4 |
| Other revenue | $5.7 | $7.0 |
| Total revenue | $259.7 | $242.1 |
| Core business expenses | ||
| Certificate costs | $111.9 | $111.6 |
| Client service offices | $9.9 | $9.9 |
| Clinic program | $50.5 | $49.1 |
| Duty counsel program | $28.7 | $28.3 |
| Service innovation | $1.1 | $1.1 |
| Total core business expenses | $202.1 | $199.9 |
| Operating expenses | ||
| Service provider support | $3.4 | $3.3 |
| Administrative expenses | $18.2 | $16.7 |
| Other expenditures | $- | $2.8 |
| Program support | $13.4 | $12.1 |
| Total operating expenses | $35.0 | $35.0 |
| Total expenditures | $237.1 | $234.9 |
| Surplus / (deficit) before other corporate expenditures / savings | $22.5 | $7.1 |
Due to rounding, the numbers may not add up precisely to the totals provided.