Ontario's Community Legal Clinics are funded by Legal Aid Ontario to provide legal services for low-income individuals and families in a variety of areas of law. Clinics can also help you to find support and advice by directing you to other community agencies that provide assistance and information.
There are a number of Specialty Community Legal Clinics that provide advice, legal representation and law reform/advocacy on health and disability issues. The Advocacy Centre for the Elderly provides direct legal services to low-income senior citizens in Ontario. They have particular expertise in issues of consent and capacity, powers of attorney, elder abuse, and issues related to long-term care services.
ARCH Disability Law Centre provides information, summary advice, brief services, and some representation to people with disabilities and to lawyers representing them. ARCH's areas of priority are attendant services, Education Law, legal capacity, and services for persons with intellectual disabilities.
Legal Aid Ontario offers a Mental Health Duty Counsel program to assist individuals appearing in mental health court or facing a criminal matter without a lawyer. If you are in custody or receiving treatment at a mental health care facility, you can get assistance with legal aid applications from the Patient Advocate/Rights Advisor in the mental health facility where you are located. Correctional facilities also have legal aid representatives who can help you apply.
The Law Society of Upper Canada has information on its website to help you find legal assistance. Visit the Law Society's online Lawyer and Paralegal Directory or call the Law Society Referral Service (LSRS) to get the name of a lawyer.
JusticeNet is a not-for-profit service helping people in need of legal expertise, whose income is too high to access legal aid and too low to afford standard legal fees. JusticeNet is currently available to anyone living in Ontario.
211 Ontario is an information and referral hotline that gives help in many languages. Dial 211 for free from any phone in Ontario. They take calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
For general information on finding legal help visit: I need legal help, but have limited income and can't afford a lawyer. What can I do?
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