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Français LAO Client Portal
Français LAO Client Portal
  • Services
    • Temporary service changes due to COVID-19
    • COVID-19 and the courts: Answers to frequently asked questions
    • Criminal legal issues
    • Domestic Violence
    • Family legal issues
    • Mental health legal issues
    • Refugee and immigration legal issues
    • All services
    • Legal clinics
    • How to apply
    • Find a lawyer
      • Finding the right legal aid lawyer
    • What do you think about our services?
  • For legal professionals
    • COVID-19: Ongoing list of supports for lawyers
    • LASA, 2020 process updates for lawyers
    • Changes to policies and certificate coverage
    • Roster resources
      • Audit & Compliance
      • Billing
      • Case management
      • Forms library
      • Legal Aid Services Act, 2020 policies
      • Legal Aid Online
      • LAO LAW
      • Resources by area of law
    • Do legal aid work
    • Mentoring
    • Test case funding
    • News for lawyers
    • B3 Newsletters
    • Contacts for lawyers
  • Corporate
    • About
    • Rules and policies
    • Board of Directors
    • Executive Team
    • Board Advisory Committees
    • Our clients
    • Sidney B. Linden Award
    • French Language Services
    • Consultations
    • Open Government
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  • FAQ

For family lawyers

LAO is addressing the legal needs of family litigants as part of its larger, long‑term strategy to improve access to justice for low‑income Ontarians, as follows:

  • LAO is providing advice earlier by expanding its early resolution services.
    Providing advice earlier can help clients avoid difficult and costly litigation in the family justice system.

  • LAO is providing holistic and integrated services.
    Holistic, integrated services are the best possible means of support for families in crisis, which tend to suffer clusters of interrelated problems.

Authorization to provide legal aid services

Lawyers who represent legal aid clients must be authorized to provide legal aid services in the area of law they practice. The standards for each area of law provide the minimum experience and professional development requirements that lawyers must meet. Standards help ensure that legal aid clients receive high‑quality services.

  • Learn more about legal aid work and standards
  • Learn more about family law standards

Second chair program

This program for private bar lawyers working on LAO-funded cases supports hands‑on training for junior lawyers and paid mentorship opportunities for senior lawyers. Learn more.

Case management

For family disputes, LAO provides family case management for:

  • Child, Youth and Family Services Act (with the exception of supervision order) matters likely to cost more than $8,000
  • Family/domestic cases likely to cost more than $12,000

Extended society care matters are eligible for case management where the certificate was issued prior to February 3, 2020. All other CYFSA and domestic family certificates issued on or after February 3, 2020 are eligible for case management.

LAO will continue consulting with clients, the private bar, community clinics and community service providers on avenues for resolving family law disputes.

  • This form is feedback only.

Related Pages

Enhanced child protection tariff

LAO analyzed lawyer billing patterns from January 2012 to December 2013. LAO estimates that going forward, 90 per cent of the cases for which lawyers would have once applied for discretion, will now be covered under the enhanced tariff. The enhanced child protection…

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