Forms library

Accounts & billing

• Expedite payment of account request
  Use this form to request consideration for the expedited payment of an account.

• Court fees waiver form
  Use this form to have fees for family, civil and small claims court matters waived where it is anticipated court fees will be incurred. It is recommended that clients be asked to sign the fee waivers early on as the waiver cannot be applied retroactively.
  More information can be found on the website for the Ministry of the Attorney General.

• Guaranteed Daily Rate for northern lawyers
  Use this account form to bill for legal aid services provided in remote northern areas (as specified by regulation). For printing only – does not perform calculations.

Application

• Lawyer Inmate Request Form for Legal Aid Service
  For use at Toronto South Detention Centre only

Block fees

Solicitors who have an active portal ID can submit an electronic request to add additional charges, make changes to an existing certificate or request a new certificate due to charges proceeding separately. Those who do not have a portal ID may complete the manual request form, print and fax it to the number shown on the bottom of the form.

• Request to add charges, to change an existing certificate or to request a new certificate for charges proceeding separately
  To add additional charges, make changes or request a new certificate due to charges proceeding separately, on open and active certificates.

• Request for a mental health authorization
  This authorization may be granted when the certificate is issued if there is an identifiable history of mental health issues. If the authorization is not granted when the certificate is issued, it may be requested.

• Request for Gladue authorization
  You must be a member of the Gladue panel to receive this authorization.

Case management and litigation forms

Assessment

• Criminal Mid-level Case Management Assessment – Preliminary Hearing

• Criminal Mid-level Case Management Assessment – Trial

• Family Case Management Assessment form
  For counsel conducting a CYFSA case where certificate total cost (fee & disbursements) is likely to exceed $8,000.

Big Case Management (BCM)

• BCM Hearings Opinion Guideline
  Application form can be used for any type of hearing, i.e. a preliminary hearing, sentencing hearing, dangerous offender hearing, etc.

• BCM Trials Opinion Guidelines
  Application form for cases that have gone to trial.

Complex Case Rate (CCR)

• Complex Case Rate case eligibility application
  The Complex Case Rate (CCR) panel offers eligible lawyers enhanced funding on particular types of cases.

• Complex Case Rate panel application
  Membership on the Complex Case Rate panel is a prerequisite for a case to be considered eligible.

Expert forms

• Application for inclusion on LAO Vendor of Record
  For experts in all fields interested in being on LAO’s Vendor of Record list.

• Application for enhanced expert rate
  Complete this form to apply for an enhanced expert rate

• Survey – Enhanced rate services
  This survey must be completed at the conclusion of the expert’s services
• Reference form (Experts)
  Experts wishing to be included on the Vendor list must get references from LAO panel members

Major criminal appeal application

• Area Committee Opinion Guide – Section 28 of LASA
  Pursuant to Section 28 of the Legal Aid Services Act only the Area Committee can authorize an appeal certificate.

Change of information

• Lawyer change of information form
  For changes in personal information, panel membership, and direct deposit information. Only fill in the information that you are changing, and leave the other sections blank.

Consent forms

• Client consent – Duty counsel
  Form for client to sign before being assisted by duty counsel

Costs and settlements

• Assignment for Judgment for Costs
  Agreement for paying to LAO and monies the assignor might receive in relation to the costs award

Disbursement authorizations

Requests for the following types of disbursements (authorized, additional funds) can be submitted through Legal Aid Online using electronic document submission or LAOiFax process.

• Request for an expert/other service provider

• Request for paternity testing

• Request for transcripts/transcriptions

• Request for translation

Discretion

In some cases, where exceptional circumstances can be demonstrated, a discretionary increase in payment of an account may be granted where an account has exceeded the tariff maximum for the certificate. If your account exceeds the tariff maximum, and you want to apply for discretion, attach the appropriate form when submitting the account:

• Request for discretion – Criminal law
  Click here for a sample of a completed form

• Request for discretion – Family law: Child Youth and Family Services Act (CYFSA)
  Click here for a sample of a completed form

• Request for discretion – Family law: Support, Access, Custody
  Click here for a sample of a completed form

• Request for discretion – Refugee law
  Click here for a sample of a completed form

• Request for discretion – General
  Use the general form for all other case types

• Request for review
  If you are dissatisfied with the settlement of your account, use this form to request a review. Requests for review should be made within 60 days of payment of the account.

For more information on the use of these forms please refer to our Discretion Guidelines.

Group Application and Test Case Committee

• Application for test case funding
  To make an application for a test of public interest case (“Test Case”) please fill out all of the applicable fields and submit it, as well as any other relevant documentation, to the Group Application and Test Case Committee

Legal aid panel

• Application forms to join the various LAO panels. For more information, see panel standards.

Application forms

• Lawyer empanelment form

• Direct deposit authorization for business accounts

• Change in direct deposit authorization for business accounts

• Application form for tier level increase

• Request for change to panel membership

Consent & Capacity Board

• Consent & Capacity Board panel application

• Specialty panel letter

Criminal panel forms

• Criminal panel application

• Criminal panel lawyer agreement to acquire experience

• Criminal Gladue panel application

• Extremely Serious Criminal Matters (ESM) panel application

• Extremely Serious Criminal Matters (ESM) panel application: References

• Complex Case Rate (CCR) panel application

• Complex Case Rate (CCR) case eligibility application

Duty counsel panel

• Duty counsel panel application: Criminal duty counsel

• Duty counsel panel application: Family duty counsel and FLIC advice lawyer

• Duty counsel panel application: Advice lawyer – General

• Duty counsel panel application: Advice lawyer – Domestic abuse

• Duty counsel panel application: Advice lawyer – Mental health, refugee and immigration, correctional institutions

Family/CYFSA panel forms

• Child Youth and Family Services Act (CYFSA) sub-panel application

• Family panel application

• Family panel lawyer agreement to acquire experience

Mentor/mentee

• Mentee feedback form

• Mentor feedback form

Refugee and immigration panel

• Refugee and immigration standards form

• Panel standards checklist: Refugee general panel

• Panel standards checklist: Refugee appellate panel

Releases

• Release of information for Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) and/or other law society

• Release of information for Lawyer’s Professional Indemnity Company

Plea comprehension – Duty counsel

• Plea comprehension form
  Mandatory form for use by all staff criminal duty counsel

Refugee

• Judicial Review Merit Assessment – Refugee services
  Lawyers must use this form to provide an opinion regarding the legal merits of a judicial review application.

• Merit assessment – Refugee Appeal Division (RAD)
  Lawyers must use this form to provide an opinion regarding the legal merits of a RAD application.

• Refugee authorization request form
  Prep for subsequent IRB-RPD attendance & written submissions

Rowbotham

• Consent and waiver to Legal Aid Ontario to release information
  Upon receipt from the client of this form, LAO will release the client’s file to the Ministry of the Attorney General.

• Acknowledgement from counsel authorising legal aid to release information
  If the client is not available to sign a consent to release the file to a lawyer, then the lawyer can request that LAO release the file to the client’s counsel.

Second Chair program

• Mentor application form
  For senior lawyers seeking a junior lawyer to act as second chair

• Mentee application form
  For junior lawyers seeking a mentor

• Pre-approved mentor application form
  For small to medium sized cases in various areas of law

• Pre-approved mentor payment report
   

Opening PDF forms on your computer

Forms on our website are provided in Adobe Acrobat PDF and Word formats. You can download free viewers for these file types:

• Adobe Acrobat Reader
• Open Office

PC users

1. right click on the link
2. select ‘save as…’ or its equivalent
3. save a copy of the file to your computer
4. open the file from your computer with Adobe Acrobat Reader

Mac users

1. press the Control (ctrl) key and click on the link
2. when the option menu appears, choose “Download link to disk” or “Download linked file”
3. save a copy of the file to your computer
4. open the file from your computer with Adobe Acrobat Reader

Mobile devices

Mobile devices such as iPhones, iPads, Blackberry and Android devices may have problems opening certain PDF files. If your mobile device displays a ‘Please wait…” error message, try opening the PDF on a computer instead.

“Please wait…” error messages

This error most commonly occurs when using the Chrome, Firefox or Opera browser to open a specific type of PDF form. To resolve this issue, make sure that Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed and follow the steps mentioned above.

If you’ve followed these steps and are still experiencing difficulties, please contact the Lawyer Service Centre.