Who We Are
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.
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
CONNECT
- legalaid.on.ca
- info@lao.on.ca
- Atrium on Bay, 40 Dundas Street West, Suite 200 Toronto, ON M5G 2H1
- 1‑800‑668‑8258
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.
Latest Public Education and Resource Links
- All
- Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children (CREVAWC)
- Community Advocacy & Legal Centre (CALC)
- Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)
- Department of Justice (DOJ)
- Federation of Ontario Law Associations (FOLA)
- Law Foundation of Ontario (LFO)
- Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG)
- National Self-Represented Litigants Project (NSRLP)
- Statistics Canada (Stats Can)
