About LAO
Legal Aid Ontario provides legal help in English and French for financially eligible low‑income Ontarians in:
- family law
- refugee and immigration law
- criminal law
- mental health law
- clinic law
Our services include:
- a toll‑free telephone line that includes 20 minutes of free legal advice for family law matters
- same day courthouse services including duty counsel, paralegals and court workers
- staff lawyers who represent clients
- representation by a private lawyer through our certificate program
- web‑based information and referrals
- support for 72 independent legal clinics and seven student legal aid services societies throughout the province
Our values
Our four core values reflect the attitudes, behaviours and culture we champion across our organization. They guide our decision making, our delivery of programs and services, and how we interact with our clients, stakeholders and one another.
- Leadership: we take initiative and lead by example.
- Excellence: we always focus on providing exceptional service to our clients.
- Innovation: we are curious, creative and challenge the status quo.
- Respect: we approach everything we do with honesty, integrity, empathy and sensitivity.
Our mandate
Legal Aid Ontario promotes access to justice for low‑income Ontarians by:
- providing consistently high quality legal aid services in a cost‑effective and efficient manner
- encouraging and facilitating flexibility and innovation in the provision of legal aid services
- identifying, assessing and recognizing the diverse legal needs of low‑income individuals and of disadvantaged communities in Ontario
- providing legal aid services to low‑income individuals through a corporation that will operate independently from the Government of Ontario but within a framework of accountability to the Government of Ontario for the expenditure of public funds
In fulfilling this mandate, Legal Aid Ontario is committed to providing services which recognize the importance of diversity, access, equity, creativity and quality.
Five‑year strategic plan
Legal Aid Ontario’s five‑year strategic plan, launched in January 2019, outlines five key strategic goals for providing access to justice for low‑income Ontarians:
- client‑centred focus
- demonstrated value for money
- innovative services
- engaged staff
- effective collaboration