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  • Services
    • Temporary service changes due to COVID-19
    • COVID-19 and the courts: Answers to frequently asked questions
    • Criminal legal issues
    • Domestic Violence
    • Family legal issues
    • Mental health legal issues
    • Refugee and immigration legal issues
    • All services
    • Legal clinics
    • How to apply
    • Find a lawyer
      • Finding the right legal aid lawyer
  • For legal professionals
    • COVID-19: Ongoing list of supports for lawyers
    • 2019 service changes
    • Empanelment
    • Case management
    • Test case funding
    • Mentoring
    • Billing
      • Legal Aid Online
      • B3 Newsletters
      • Audit & Compliance
    • Resources
      • Aboriginal legal issues
      • Criminal lawyers
      • Family lawyers
      • Mental health lawyers
      • Refugee and immigration lawyers
    • News for lawyers
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    • Contacts for lawyers
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Getting help in the courtroom

Important notice:
Some of our services have temporarily changed due to the COVID‑19 crisis. The information provided on this page may no longer be accurate. Please visit our COVID‑19 client page to learn how this may impact you.

COVID-19: Beginning March 24, you can speak to duty counsel over the phone about your criminal matter without having to qualify.

If you qualify, and need legal help on your day of court, you can talk to our lawyers at the courthouse (they are called duty counsel). Duty counsel can:

  • give you advice and information
  • tell you about your rights and what you have to do
  • tell you how the court process works
  • in some cases, help you with your documents
  • in some cases, represent you

Check the table below to see if you qualify for duty counsel services.

Number of family members The amount of money your family earns in a year
1 $22,720
2 $32,131
3 $39,352
4 $45,440
5+ $50,803

If you do not qualify for duty counsel services, speak to a legal aid worker. Legal aid workers are Legal Aid employees who can give you legal information, information about the court process, and tell you about other resources that may help.

  • Please tell us why

Related Services

Criminal legal issues

Charged with a crime that could send you to jail? Going to court without a lawyer? Charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act?

Family legal issues

Do you want to separate from your partner? Need to decide custody, support or access? Contacted by Children’s Aid?

Call us at 1-800-668-8258 Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST) for help in over 300 languages.

Current wait time: The CLSC is currently closed.

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