Getting help from Legal Aid Ontario
Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) offers help with legal problems that our legal clinic staff aren’t able to help with like:
Family law,
Being in trouble with the law (criminal law), and
Immigration and refugee problems.
We explain below how people living in our local area of Hastings, Prince Edward and Lennox & Addington counties and Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory can get help from LAO.
You must be living on a low income to qualify for their services and have the type of legal problem they help with. What they can help with changes from time-to-time. Check with their staff to be sure you can get the help you need.
Services provided by LAO include:
- Legal information and advice over the phone (toll-free).
- Getting help from Legal Aid in local courthouses.
- Information on LAO’s website:
- Getting help from a private lawyer paid by Legal Aid Ontario.
When can’t LAO help me?
There are a few reasons why they might not be able to help you:
1. You have a legal problem that they do not help with:
You may have the kind of legal problem they cannot help with. They mostly help in criminal law, family law, and immigration and refugee law.
Remember that we may be able to help you with other kinds of legal problems, or we can refer you to someone who can.
2. You have too much money or property:
LAO can only help people who don’t have much money or property. Please see their information on eligibility to receive duty counsel help, summary advice or a legal aid certificate to retain a lawyer (scroll down for income eligibility).
Depending on your financial situation, you may have to pay LAO for some or all of your legal fees.
What if I am denied a certificate to pay for my own lawyer?
If you are denied a certificate from LAO, you can appeal their decision. Please see their page on making an appeal, or call LAO’s contact centre for more information.
What if I am unhappy with services provided by LAO?
If you are unhappy with the service provided by LAO, you can make a complaint.