Our services

Legal services

We provide free, confidential legal help to people living on a low income in Hastings, Prince Edward, and Southern Lennox & Addington counties as well as Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.

The priority areas we help with are:

Income assistance rights	Human rights and discrimination
Tenant rights	Seniors’ issues
Consumer and debt	Sexual harassment at work
Workers’ rights

We can:

• help you over the phone or in-person with your legal problem. How we help depends on the type of problem you have.
• commission and notarize documents (within our areas of practice)
• help you present your case to a court or tribunal
• give you information about your legal problems

Call us for more information or fill out our online Request for Legal Advice form.

Not sure if you have a legal problem?  View our legal health awareness poster.

If your question is about a family or criminal law problem, please call Legal Aid Ontario.

We also:

Give workshops about the law to groups, community organizations, schools and other institutions, as well as staff at government agencies. Find out more.

Work on local community issues. We help local groups that want help working on legal problems that are a priority for people living on a low income. Depending on local need, we sometimes start new community projects. Find out more.

Advocate to improve government services, help make better laws and ensure they are applied fairly. Find out more.

View a presentation about our services.

Legal services in French

If you require legal advice in French, see our French services page for where you can get legal information and advice in French.

We also have a page that has information on your French language rights in civil or criminal proceedings.

How much do your services cost?

All our legal services are free. You may be asked to pay for expenses such as court filing fees and medical reports. We also welcome donations.

Can I just drop into your main office or satellite locations?

We give free, confidential legal information and advice on the telephone and by appointment. Please call before coming in to any of our offices. We can help you better that way.

Can I see a lawyer or legal worker right away?

We “triage” based on urgency. “Triage” means we try to deal with problems in the order of how serious they are rather than on a “first come, first served” basis – just like a hospital emergency room. If we don’t deal with serious issues right away, like having your benefits cancelled, or being threatened with eviction, it can cause great harm.

So if there is no pending legal hearing, or you have enough time to file an appeal or court documents, your problem could get less priority.

How do I qualify for your help?

If you are living on a low income in our geographic area, we provide help in the legal areas listed above. We promote and encourage self-advocacy. Also, we can only represent you before a court or a tribunal if you are within our financial guidelines.

Who gives me legal help?

You may get legal information from one of our staff or volunteers.

Legal advice, coaching, or representing you before a court/tribunal will be provided by one of our supervised law students, community legal workers, paralegals, or lawyers.

Find out more about our staff and our student volunteer program.

What if you can’t help me?

We will:

• refer you to Legal Aid Ontario for help with family, immigration or criminal issues
• refer you to other advocacy help if is available

Do you issue Legal Aid certificates?

We do not issue Legal Aid certificates. Find out more about the kind of help Legal Aid Ontario offers.

Who decides which legal cases you take on?

The clinic’s Executive Director makes these decisions, guided by the priorities set by our community-elected Board of Directors each year and the law about legal aid services in Ontario.

What if I am unhappy with your services?

If you are unhappy with our services, please let us know. We have a complaints procedure and will do our best to address your concerns.