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Legal Aid Ontario will be closed on October 2
Please note that we will be closed on Monday, Oct. 2 to commemorate Truth and Reconciliation Day. Offices and the call centre will resume regular business hours on Tuesday, Oct. 3.

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Français LAO Client Portal
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  • Services
    • Temporary service changes due to COVID-19
    • COVID-19 and the courts: Answers to frequently asked questions
    • Our services
    • Criminal legal issues
    • Domestic violence
    • Family legal issues
    • Mental health legal issues
    • Refugee and immigration legal issues
    • Youth legal issues
    • Legal clinics
    • How to apply
    • Find a lawyer
      • Finding the right legal aid lawyer
    • What do you think about our services?
    • Languages
    • Contact us
  • 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
      • Minimum experience requirements
      • More resources
    • Do legal aid work
    • Mentoring
    • Test case funding
    • News for lawyers
    • B3 Newsletters
    • Contacts for lawyers
  • Corporate
    • About
      • By-laws
      • Our clients
      • Board of Directors
      • Executive Team
      • Board Advisory Committees
      • Sidney B. Linden Access to Justice Award
      • French Language Services
    • Legal Aid Services Act, 2020
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Mentoring opportunities at Legal Aid Ontario

Second Chair Program

Directed exclusively at private bar lawyers who are working on LAO‑funded cases, the Second Chair program allows new or mid‑career lawyers to benefit from the knowledge and experience of more experienced or senior lawyers. One lawyer serves as the “second chair” on a case, providing new or mid‑career lawyers with an opportunity to obtain hands‑on training from more experienced or senior counsel.

Learn more about the Second Chair program here.


LAO LAW case-by-case mentorship program

The Case-by-Case Mentorship Program is administered by LAO LAW.

LAO LAW has created an approved list of mentors who provide advice via email to certificate lawyers who have questions regarding practice and certificate matters. Questions submitted electronically are fielded through LAO LAW, who will contact lawyers on the approved list of mentors to ensure availability.

Questions will be forwarded to mentors on a rotating basis, to avoid excessive demand on individual mentor’s time.

Lawyers wishing to access this service must log in to LAO LAW’s website, where they will be provided with a response and advice within 48 hours.

Note that while LAO LAW’s services are provided free of charge, lawyers accessing the services must be registered with LAO and be representing a client using a legal aid certificate.

Mentorships for roster members

The following mentorships for LAO roster members are administered by the director general in the district where a lawyer practices.

One-on-one mentoring

One-on-one mentorship is relatively informal and LAO expects the scope of the mentor‑mentee relationship to be agreed upon and structured by the mentors and mentees.

Details about one-on-one mentoring can be found here.

Shadowing opportunities for new duty counsel lawyers

Lawyers interested in doing duty counsel work may take advantage of opportunities to shadow experienced duty counsel to gain an understanding of the pace and nature of duty counsel work. These opportunities will be identified by and coordinated with the district director general or the local supervisory duty counsel.

Lawyers wishing to take on duty counsel work must apply to the manager of duty counsel services or the relevant supervisory duty counsel.

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Related Pages

Criteria: Mentor, mentee and case

Second chair program

One-on-One mentoring

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