In brief: News for lawyers

Each year, Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) closes duty counsel purchase orders and creates new ones for the upcoming year. Old purchase orders are closed on March 27, 2026 and new purchase orders will be created to be effective March 30, 2026. Please prepare for this change by reviewing what you need to do. Per diem…

If you need to translate more than 3,500 words in documents for an immigration or refugee matter, LAO has updated two key documents with clearer instructions that that will make the approval process smoother. Disbursements Handbook The Translation section has been updated and expanded. Roster lawyers are strongly encouraged to take the time to read…

The annual self-report for 2025 opened on Jan. 2, 2026. As in previous years, the 2025 Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) lawyer self-report is available through Legal Aid Online. All roster members who have been a member of the LAO roster for the entirety of the 2025 calendar year (from Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025 inclusive) are…

Starting January 2026, Legal Aid Ontario will require roster lawyers to annually confirm through the annual Lawyer Self-Report that they have read and are complying with the following from the Law Society of Ontario: Generative AI: Your professional obligations Practice tips for using AI Licensee use of generative artificial intelligence The requirement reflects the growing…

Legal Aid Ontario has introduced new coverage for Section 19 Youth Conferences under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. This update recognizes the time and expertise roster lawyers dedicate to supporting youth in these proceedings. Starting Dec.14, 2025, roster lawyers can request this coverage through Legal Aid Online when submitting a judicial pre-trial request. Similar to…

Beginning Dec. 7, you will need to set the court addresses where you provide legal aid services in the ‘My location’ and ‘sub location’ in the duty counsel worksheet. Making it mandatory to set court locations will ensure a seamless start to the account generation process as service codes will now be automatically added to…

Starting Dec. 7, you will only need to submit one account for both criminal and family services, rather than multiple separate accounts. A new dropdown menu also has been added to the account page to make it easier to select the appropriate service category for each client and improve reporting accuracy. Key benefits This update…

Last weekend, Legal Aid Ontario experienced an unexpected service disruption that caused a temporary outage affecting several core systems, including Legal Aid Online. Access has now been restored; but you may notice slower performance, as we continue to stabilize the system. To prevent future disruptions, we may need to schedule short maintenance periods over the…

Help your clients resolve their family law matters quickly, at no charge, and without going to court. Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) settlement conferences offer a practical, accessible alternative to traditional family law litigation. For more than 30 years, these conferences have helped parties resolve disputes through voluntary settlements, guided by impartial, experienced facilitators – all…

We are pleased to share details of the inaugural Legal Aid Summit, taking place on Nov. 6 and hosted by the Law Society of Ontario (LSO). This full-day event brings together experts in access to justice and legal aid to share strategies for building a rewarding and sustainable practice. Participants will gain practical insights on…