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Wait times: The wait times for our contact centre are longer than usual. The best time to call is between 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m., Monday to Friday.

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Legal Aid Ontario
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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
    • 2019 service changes
    • Empanelment
    • Case management
    • Test case funding
    • Mentoring
    • Billing
      • Legal Aid Online
      • B3 Newsletters
      • Audit & Compliance
    • Resources
      • Aboriginal legal issues
      • Criminal lawyers
      • Family lawyers
      • Mental health lawyers
      • Refugee and immigration lawyers
    • News for lawyers
    • LAO LAW
    • Forms library
    • Contacts for lawyers
  • Corporate
    • About
    • Board of Directors
    • Executive Team
    • Board Advisory Committees
    • Our clients
    • Sidney B. Linden Award
    • French Language Services
    • Consultations
    • Open Government
    • Reports
    • Publications
    • News
    • Social media
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • FAQ

For mental health lawyers

Information for lawyers working on legal aid cases for clients with mental health or addiction issues.

If you are working with clients experiencing mental health or addiction issues, we have information and resources available to help you assist them.

Ontario Review Board (ORB) and Consent and Capacity Board (CCB) matters

    • Modified merit test for CCB appeals: details about the two‑stage merit test.
    • Merit consideration guide for CCB appeals: a guide to help lawyers in their assessment of merit and a primer on CCB related law.
    • Modified merit test for ORB appeals: details about the two‑stage merit test. (beginning July 7, 2019)

Guardianship/Substitute Decision Act (SDA) related matters as of July 7, 2019

Legal aid certificate coverage is available for unrepresented incapable persons in Superior Court when the court directs the Public Guardian and Trustee to arrange for a lawyer, under Section 3 of the SDA.

Legal aid coverage is subject to financial eligibility testing. Please follow up with your legal aid district office if you have a client in need of a guardianship related certificate.

Panel standards

  • Consent and capacity board panel standards: what you need to be admitted to and remain on the CCB panel.
  • Consent and capacity board panel application form.
  • Criminal law panel standards: what you need to be admitted to and remain on the criminal panel.
  • Criminal panel application form. Criminal law empanelment also enables counsel to accept certificates for ORB representation.

Projects and programs

  • The Mental Health Strategy for Legal Aid Ontario: Legal Aid Ontario’s blueprint for prioritizing, expanding and sustaining mental health rights and advocacy in Ontario’s legal system.
  • Legal Aid Ontario’s Mental Health Strategy resource page.
  • Mentorship opportunities at Legal Aid Ontario.

Manuals and training

  • Criminal mental health training manual: training for lawyers with clients who have criminal mental health issues.
  • Mental health training for criminal law practitioners: video & training session library. You must be a registered panel lawyer and logged into LAO LAW to access this training.
  • Mental health training for family law practitioners: video & training session library. You must be a registered panel lawyer and logged into LAO LAW to access this training.
  • A roadmap for certificate and duty counsel lawyers: all you need to know to do legal aid work.

Accounts and billing

  • All you need to bill us for services.

Research and resources

  • LAO Law: Legal Aid Ontario’s research department. You must be a registered panel lawyer to use this service.
  • Please tell us why

Related Pages

Modified merit test for Ontario Review Board (ORB) appeals

Stage 1 (mandatory): In assessing the sufficiency of merit, the Area Committee (AC) will consider whether the legal grounds of appeal have a reasonable likelihood of success. In determining likelihood of success, consideration will be given to the strength of the legal…

Modified merit test for Consent and Capacity Board appeals

First stage (mandatory) The Area Committee (AC) in the first stage will address whether there is sufficient legal merit to warrant the funding of the Consent and Capacity Board (CCB) appeal. In assessing the sufficiency of merit, AC will consider whether the legal grounds of…

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Current wait time: The CLSC is currently closed.

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