What is a Legal Aid Lawyer?
A Legal Aid Lawyer is a lawyer who specializes in assisting people who cannot afford to pay for a lawyer themselves. The lawyer will be paid for helping you in this case by an agency of the government called, in Ontario, Legal Aid Ontario.
Of course, before a lawyer can help you, you will have to apply for and obtain a Legal Aid Certificate from Legal Aid Ontario. Whether or not you qualify will depend upon your income level, which you will have to prove.
Most Legal Aid Lawyers specialize in Criminal Law, Family Law (including Divorce Law and Child Protection Law), or Landlord-Tenant Law, areas where people with issues sometimes have limited resources. Disability Law can also be an area where Legal Aid comes into play.
Legal Aid Lawyers also act as “Duty Counsel” in court so that persons of limited means have basic representation if they are required to appear in criminal or family court on short notice. With respect to family court, Duty Counsel can give you advice, speak to the court (judge) on your behalf, or help you negotiate a settlement. He or she cannot, however, represent you at trial.
A quick online search will get anyone the telephone number for Legal Aid Ontario or, if you live in a different province, the name of the equivalent agency. In the alternative, you can first contact a Legal Aid Lawyer who may be willing to help you get a Legal Aid Certificate or, at a minimum, explain the procedure to what and the information you need to have at hand when contacting Legal Aid Ontario (or equivalent).