In brief: News for lawyers

Starting August 14, 2020, on Mondays and Fridays, LAO counsel will assist accused persons with matters in the Superior Court of Justice’s 361 University Avenue practice court in Toronto. The court continues to operate virtually due to the COVID‑19 pandemic. LAO counsel will act as agents for private bar lawyers with matters before the court, and…

You asked. We listened. Starting July 27, the duty counsel services worksheet (DCSW) will be easier to use, require less duplication and less data entry. Here’s how NEW: Client consent-to-contact box Tick the Consent to Contact box when your client consents to being contacted by LAO about their case—located right above the address and contact information…

Further to our June 1, 2020 announcement, LAO is now providing an additional two hours of COVID‑19 legal aid coverage for mandatory judicial pretrials (JPT) in both the Ontario Superior Court and Court of Justice. Courts may now require lawyers to attend an additional JPT to address cases that have been delayed due to the pandemic….

As part of our response to the COVID‑19 pandemic, Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) has recently made adjustments to its policy regarding change of solicitor, particularly for those accused still in the high‑risk situation of remaining in custody. Consequently, LAO will automatically approve first requests for change of solicitor for those accused in custody. There is no…

As part of LAO’s continuing response to COVID‑19, LAO is providing a three‑hour authorization to respond to June 2020 RAD requests for specific or updated submissions. These requests were an extraordinary measure to deal with a backlog caused by the COVID pandemic. The new authorization is available on RAD certificates where full coverage has already…

This email was sent to members of the private bar on June 24, 2020. Dear members of the private bar, Legal Aid Ontario as an organization recognizes that though we want things to be different, not everyone is treated equally under the law. Anti-Black racism and police violence is not just an American problem. Unfortunately, it…

Effective immediately, Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) will be making changes to its certificate coverage for Consent and Capacity Board (CCB) appeals. LAO will be offering an additional ten (10) hours to the current 25 hours allocated on the CCB appeal tariff (excluding hearing time). This increases the total coverage on the certificate to 35 hours. Any existing CCB…

Thank you once again to criminal bar lawyers who provided emergency in-court legal aid services to unrepresented clients between March 16 and 20, 2020. We remain grateful for your contribution to LAO’s response to the COVID‑19 pandemic. Please be advised that June 30, 2020 is the deadline for submitting accounts for work completed during this period. Submit…

Legal Aid Online will be unavailable from 6 AM ET June 27 while we archive and remove completed certificates. This is routine maintenance called a purchase order close, and applies to concluded appeals and all cancelled, final billed or terminated certificates completed prior to June 1, 2014. Certificates that will not be closed include: BCU cases PCU cases…

We’re pleased to announce that this year’s RLO annual continuing professional development conference will be online, and in two parts: