In brief: News for lawyers

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….

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) is committed to the professional development of private bar lawyers who take on legal aid work. Our second chair mentorship program permits new and mid career lawyers to learn from the knowledge and experience of senior lawyers on interesting and complex cases. Serving as ‘second chair’ on a case, new or…

Due to routine maintenance and system upgrades, Legal Aid Online will be unavailable March 27, April 16 (from 5 pm ET) ‑18 and May 15‑16 2021. We thank you for your understanding.

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…

Lawyers can now submit invoices through Legal Aid Online for bail hearings for block fee and tariff matters on certificates issued on or after January 1, 2021. LAO announced that it was doubling compensation for virtual bail hearings last month in recognition of bail hearings taking significantly longer to prepare for and conduct during COVID‑19. This…