Open data
Whether you’re an engaged citizen, a student wanting to learn more about how LAO works, or even an app developer, we’ve got a variety of datasets for you to explore.
LAO publishes digital data that is machine readable, such as CSV and XML files. These can be repurposed, synthesized and modelled by computer applications to generate insights, analyses and/or used to develop web/mobile applications.
Data is “de-identified”, or reported in a way that makes it difficult to use to identify individuals, to maintain privacy.
Use and share it freely.
Available data sets
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Certificates: Application outcomes | Data collected is for the outcome of intake process for applications for a legal aid certificate. |
| Certificates approved by area of law | Data on legal aid certificates group by area of law. |
| Certificates: Number of certificates issued | Data on the number of legal aid certificates issued for criminal, family, refugee, and other areas of law. |
| Certificates: length of time to determine application outcome | Data set for the amount of time it takes for an application to be reviewed and either approved or rejected once it is received. |
| Clinic services | Data collected include the number of cases clinics opened by area of law and hours they spent helping clients. |
| Duty counsel: Number of people assisted by duty counsel | Duty counsel are LAO staff and per diem lawyers in courthouses. Data breaks down the number of people assisted by duty counsel and in what areas of law. |
| Legal Aid Ontario: Statement of operations | Data on funding received, operating expenses, and expenditures broken down by quarter |
| Phone activity | Breakdown of calls made to LAO’s toll-free number. |
| Race-based data | Race-based data for legal aid certificates issued for criminal, family, refugee, and other areas of law. |
| Statement of operations data | The report includes funding received from the government and other sources, core business and operating expenses, and expenditures. |
Limitations
Under the Open Data Directive, all data should be considered open by default unless:
- The data contains personal or confidential information, has legal, copyright or security restrictions or compromises public safety
- The data is protected under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 1990
- The data should not be disclosed for legal, security, confidentiality, privacy or commercial sensitivity reasons.
Data under review
| Title | Description | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Area committee members list | This dataset contains a list of all Legal Aid Ontario area committees and the members who belong to those committees. Legal Aid Ontario area committees are locally-based groups of lawyers and non‑lawyers, who meet to hear the appeals of clients seeking to receive legal aid after an initial request was refused. | Quarterly |
| Geographical files of Legal Aid Ontario service locations | Shapefiles containing boundary files for Legal Aid Ontario’s districts and regions, area office locations, clinic catchment areas and service points. | As required |
| List of board advisory committee members | Legal Aid Ontario (“LAO”) has eight advisory committees. The advisory committees provide input and advice to the LAO board to support LAO’s annual strategic and business planning process. The committees are intended to function as an expert panel to advise the LAO board. Members are selected every 3 years. | As required |
| Location and service data | This dataset is a collection of all LAO services offered in all locations across the province. It is kept up-to-date by an assigned group of information champions. | Quarterly |
| Call centre data | The dataset includes: agents, number of calls, calls answered, wait times. | Under review |
| Certificate service data | Information includes area of law in which certificate was issued, geography, lawyer and client demographic information. | Under review |
| Certificates services data | This dataset contains information about issued certificates, such as: area of law in which certificate was issued, geography, lawyer and client information. | Under review |
| Client certificate application data | This dataset includes clients’ personal, case, and financial assessment information. | Under review |
| Clinic services data | Dataset includes service information for all clinic locations such as, cases opened, brief services and summary advice. | Under review |
| Corporate financial data | Dataset includes expenses, revenues, assets, depreciation, budgets, salaries; data used for statement of operations and monthly expense reports | Under review |
| Court statistics | The dataset includes individual court house statistics; number of court house appearances prior to initial legal aid application; services provided to court house clients; areas of law serviced; decision time frames (I.E. Same day decisions); number of clients with counsel; and court worker tool statistics. | Under review |
| Court worker data | Data includes client & employee information services as entered through LAOs court worker application. | Under review |
| Duty counsel services | Data includes information on services provided by duty counsel lawyers as well as, the type of law, date and location of services, number of clients assisted. | Under review |
| Duty counsel services | This dataset includes information on services provided by duty counsel lawyers, such as, the type of law, date of service, location of services, and number of clients assisted. | Under review |
| Expanded duty counsel service data | This dataset includes information on services provided by duty counsel lawyers, clients’ case information, services and subsequent court dates. | Under review |
| French employee skills and designated positions | This is a list that is regularly updated, setting out french skills of all employees, and identifying the employees in french designated positions. | Restricted |
| Legal Aid Ontario Brydges Hotline (telephone service for detained persons) | Data includes calls by type, age, gender, geographical area. | Under review |
| Legal Aid Ontario employee directory | A listing of all employees working at Legal Aid Ontario, including position information and work contact information. | Under review |
| Legal Aid Ontario lawyer information | This dataset includes which panel lawyer is approved for, whether lawyer meets panel standards and what district the lawyer operates in. | Under review |
| Legal Aid Ontario staff lawyer service data | Data includes client and lawyer information, including casework and docket information. | Under review |
| Legal aid services by geographical office | The dataset includes total referrals for duty counsel, summary legal advice, summary legal advice immigration/refugee, and mediation; breakdown of all applications and certificates, amendments, solicitor portal transactions, and duty counsel worksheet statistics. | Under review |
| Workforce size | This dataset includes workforce size as reported in the measure of full time equivalent (fte). | Under review |