In brief: News for lawyers

Showing 51 - 60 of 131 results

Clarification to the Charges Heard Separately policy

Published December 3, 2021

Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) has clarified its Charges Heard Separately policy. These clarifications affect the way lawyers submit requests for additional certificates on an existing certificate, through the online portal. Under both LASA 1998 and LASA 2020, the expectation has always been that multiple criminal charges should be scheduled for joint resolution, where the lawyer…

Judge-Led Intensive Case Management Court certificates

Published October 29, 2021

The Judge-Led Intensive Case Management Court (JICMC) is an important initiative, established by partners in the justice system, to eliminate the extensive case backlog as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.   The JICMC certificates are for the accused who are ineligible, either financially or legally, for Legal Aid’s existing certificate program. These are not Legal Aid clients.   The JICMC initiative supports the unrepresented accused facing criminal charges, who would otherwise have no lawyer and no source of case-specific legal information and advice….

LASA 2020 has been proclaimed

Published October 18, 2021

The Legal Aid Services Act, 2020 (LASA 2020) has now been proclaimed. The new act allows Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) the opportunity to innovate and modernize both legal aid services and how those services are delivered. Under LASA 2020, LAO has established rules and policies to manage and administer legal aid. This rule-based framework enables LAO…

LAO to cover cases adjourned to Judge-Led Intensive Case Management Court

Published October 12, 2021

Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) is covering the cost of a lawyer for those whose matters are more than twelve months old and have had their cases adjourned to Judge‑Led Intensive Case Management Court (JICMC). The JICMC was set up to address the large backlog of cases resulting from the COVID‑19 pandemic. Accused people whose matters…

LAO waives eligibility testing for new Judge-Led Intensive Case Management Court certificates

Published October 12, 2021

Judge-Led Intensive Case Management Court (JICMC) certificates are time-limited and meant to help the Ontario Court of Justice as it addresses the backlog due to the COVID‑19 pandemic in case management court. LAO staff will support the JICMC by identifying self-represented accused who qualify for the JICMC certificate. LAO staff will also ensure that clients…

Relationships First, Business Later: LAO publishes Part I of Aboriginal Justice Strategy consultation report

Published June 29, 2021

After thoughtful, thorough consultation with Indigenous stakeholders, the Aboriginal Justice Strategy (AJS) at Legal Aid Ontario is publishing Relationships First, Business Later, Part I, of a consultation report on the AJS’s and LAO’s effectiveness in the delivery of legal aid services to Indigenous clients in Ontario. It is vital for us to be the most effective…

Substitute decision maker coverage in CCB end-of-life proceedings temporarily reinstated

Published May 10, 2021

As part of our ongoing response to COVID-19, LAO has temporarily reinstated certificate coverage for substitute decision makers (SDM) in Consent and Capacity Board (CCB) end-of-life proceedings. Until further notice, applications for this coverage will be expedited, and financial eligibility requirements waived for the SDM or the incapable person. If an applicant does not have a lawyer…

New program to enhance legal aid services for immigration detainees

Published March 16, 2021

Legal Aid Ontario has launched a new program that uses both private practice and LAO staff lawyers to provide legal representation to all unrepresented immigration detainees in their detention review hearings. The Immigration Detention Representation Program (IDRP) is a free service available to anyone in immigration detention in Ontario who would like representation in a…


Showing 51 - 60 of 131 results