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New enhanced training referral list – action required

Published: November 6, 2024

Starting Oct. 26, 2024, Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) has enhanced its “Find A Lawyer” tool and is creating two new referral lists that will identify criminal law roster members who have completed LAO’s optional training relating to either youth clients charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) and/or clients with mental health issues.

If you have completed the continuing professional development courses that LAO introduced in January 2024, your name can appear on the enhanced referral lists for criminal youth and/or criminal mental health.

Background

LAO offers free, CPD-accredited training to all roster members for criminal mental health and criminal youth cases.

The four-part criminal mental health training covers:

  • People found not criminally responsible (NCR)
  • Fitness assessments
  • Mental health court processes
  • Ontario Review Board (ORB) matters
  • Appeals
  • The role of amicus (a legal advisor)
  • Ethics and professionalism
  • How to manage clients effectively

The youth criminal training focuses on representing young people under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. It includes:

  • Professional and ethical issues
  • Youth bail and sentencing

What this means for you

If you have completed the LAO-provided continuing professional development in either of these areas, you can be included on the updated referral lists.

How to be included on the referral list

To appear on these referral lists, you must:

  • Have completed the LAO-provided additional training in either criminal youth law or criminal mental health
  • Update your profile on Legal Aid Online to indicate you’ve completed this training

Action required

If you have already completed the enhanced training:

  • Log in to Legal Aid Online
  • Update your profile to reflect when the training was completed.

If you have not completed the training but wish to be included:

  • Sign up for the appropriate enhanced training course by accessing the content through LAO Law. The training videos will be posted on the video and training library. To access the videos, please use either Chrome or Firefox. If you have difficulty accessing the videos, contact laolaw@lao.on.ca.
  • Complete the training and update your Legal Aid Online profile

Important notes

Only roster members who are authorized in criminal law may provide legal aid services to criminal youth or criminal mental health clients. Completion of the training programs does not authorize roster members to provide legal aid services if they did not already hold this authorization.

Completion of the training is not required to continue providing legal aid services to criminal youth or criminal mental health clients but is required to be included on the enhanced referral lists.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this process or need assistance updating your profile, please contact our Lawyer Services Centre at 1-866-979-9934 from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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