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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
    • Our services
    • Criminal legal issues
    • Domestic Violence
    • Family legal issues
    • Mental health legal issues
    • Refugee and immigration legal issues
    • 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
    • Reports
    • Publications
    • News
    • Social media
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • FAQ

About LAO

Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) provides legal help in English and French for financially eligible low‑income Ontarians. Since forming under the Legal Aid Services Act of 1998 (LASA, 1998), LAO has become a vital part of a strong justice system, providing high-quality legal services in: 

  • family law 
  • refugee and immigration law 
  • criminal law 
  • mental health law 

LAO also provides funding to 72 independent legal clinics and seven student legal services organizations throughout the province who specialize in clinic law.

 

Our services include: 

  • a toll-free telephone line that offers 20 minutes of free legal advice for family law matters 
  • same‑day courthouse services including duty counsel (lawyers), paralegals, and court workers 
  • staff lawyers who represent clients  
  • representation by a private lawyer through our certificate program 
  • web-based information and referrals 

Our mandate

As of Oct. 18, 2021, the new Legal Aid Services Act (LASA, 2020) governs legal aid in Ontario. LASA, 2020 maintains LAO’s mandate to provide high-quality legal aid services to low-income clients and will make it possible for LAO to do more, while increasing our efficiency and ensuring our long-term sustainability. 

A key feature of the new law is that the management of legal aid changes from a regulatory framework to a rules-based one, meaning updates to operational processes are possible without changing the law. This change will allow LAO to keep up with the needs of Ontarians and the technological advances that we now take for granted.  

Visit LASArules2020.ca to learn more about the management and administration of legal aid. 

LAO remains independent from, but accountable to, the Government of Ontario. Alongside service providers, including the private bar and community legal clinics, we continue to provide legal services in the areas listed above and promote 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, but within a framework of accountability, to the Government of Ontario for the expenditure of public funds 

In fulfilling this mandate, LAO is committed to providing services that recognize the importance of diversity, access, equity, creativity, and quality.

Read our Statement of Principles to learn more about the values and commitments that have guided LAO’s strong tradition of service and continue to form the foundation of our work. 

  • This form is feedback only.

Further reading

Legal Aid Ontario’s financial eligibility guidelines French language services Our clients Historical overview Sidney B. Linden Award
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Need legal help?

Call us toll free at 1‑800‑668‑8258 Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST) for help in over 300 languages.

Current wait time: 19 minutes

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Land acknowledgement: Legal Aid Ontario recognizes that its work, and the work of its community partners take place on traditional Indigenous territories across the province.

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