Temporary adjustments to LAO’s change of solicitor policy during COVID‑19

Published: July 16, 2020

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 effective start date for this, and these changes will apply regardless of when the application was made.

Big Case Management (BCM) cases will not be included in this temporary change.