CanLaw: About Your Law Society

Where can I file a complaint

 against a lawyer?

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WHAT IS LEGAL AID AND

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Legal aid is a government program that helps people with a low income receive legal representation and advice.

 

HOW TO APPLY FOR AND GET LEGAL AID TO PAY FOR YOUR LAWYER. LEGAL AID: ARE YOU ELIGIBLE?

Law Societies protect lawyers from consumers, not consumers from lawyers

Do you qualify for Legal Aid?

 

.

What kind of cases are covered?

 

If you qualify financially, Legal Aid may be able to pay your lawyer for some of these things. This is not a complete list. Please talk to your Legal Aid office about your specific case.

Criminal Charges

  • any offense which likely result in jail time (e.g. assault, impaired driving causing bodily harm, robbery, welfare fraud, break and enter

In Family Matters:

In reality the following is not often available to men or fathers

  • get custody of your children or to change custody
  • to get a restraining order against your partner
  • to remove your partner from your home, in cases of physical abuse.
  • to establish or to change support payments for you and your child
  • to establish access to your children where no arrangements have already been made
  • to help with custody and access rights if your partner is likely to move far away so you can't see your children to threatens to take your children away from you
  • to help if your partner denies you access to your child
  • to change access from supervised to non-supervised
  • to stop your partner from selling or destroying your property
  • to negotiate property issues, including RRSP's and pensions
  • In Immigration and refugee matters
  • refugee hearings before the Immigration and refugee Board
  • sponsorship appeals
  • deportation appeals and submissions to the Minister of Immigration for deportation appeals

For Other Civil Cases

  • Workers' Compensation
  • mental health hearings and appeals
  • parole hearings and appeals
  • damage claims

How you apply for Legal Aid?

 

Call and make an appointment if possible. Then go to your local Legal Aid office and speak to a staff person.

 

What do you need to bring with you?

 

Apply For Legal Aid As Soon As Possible:

If you think you need Legal Aid, apply as soon as possible. Normally it takes two or three weeks to process your application. Your lawyer cannot "officially" start working on your file until s/he has a Legal Aid certificate.

 

If approved, take your Legal Aid certificate to the lawyer of your choice. Most lawyers do not accept Legal Aid so you may have difficulty finding one, but you will sooner or later.

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