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Federation of Ontario Law Associations
  • Home
  • About
    • FOLA Executive
    • Law Associations
    • Ont. Courthouse Libraries
    • Member Rewards
    • Awards
    • Contact Us
  • Issues & Submissions
    • OPEN CONSULTATIONS
    • Access to Justice
    • Ads, Mktg, & Client Fees
    • Alt. Business Structures
    • Auto Insurance
    • Compliance Entity Regs
    • COURTS
    • Criminal Law
    • Dialogue on Licensing
    • Family Law Reforms
    • Legal Aid
    • LAW SOCIETY OF ONTARIO
    • MAG
    • MINISTRY OF FINANCE
    • Real Estate Law
    • Rules of Practice
  • News & Events
    • FOLA Plenary - SPRING 23
    • BENCHER ELECTIONS 2023
    • Lobby Day
    • FOLA Newsletters
    • Assn. & Other Events
    • Jobs
    • In the News
    • Past FOLA Plenaries
  • RESOURCES
    • Mental Health Resources
    • ONCA
    • Diversity
    • Financial Solutions Blog
    • Practice Resources
    • Professional Development
    • LegalTech Resources
    • Membership Resources
    • Law Students & Articling
    • Other Useful Links

ACCESS TO JUSTICE (A2J)

A2J WEEK 2022

PRO BONO SERVICES IN ONTARIO

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & A2J

The seventh annual Access to Justice Week took place from October 24 to 28, 2022. A2J Week 2022 featured a diverse series of virtual programming on the theme “Access to Justice Counts: Using data to address the legal needs of Canadians.” 

LEARN MORE

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & A2J

PRO BONO SERVICES IN ONTARIO

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & A2J

The Department of Justice Canada considers access to justice to be a fundamental value of the Canadian justice system, flowing from our country’s respect for the rule of law. Justice Canada is working to advance a people-centered approach to justice that puts consideration of the individual at the heart of justice responses by providing access to information, programs and policies.

LEARN MORE

PRO BONO SERVICES IN ONTARIO

PRO BONO SERVICES IN ONTARIO

PRO BONO SERVICES IN ONTARIO

There are a variety of services available to residents of Ontario.  See FOLA's comprehensive list below.  If you notice that we are missing any, please let Katie know at Katie.Robinette@fola.ca.


PRO BONO SERVICES (ONTARIO)

LEGAL AID IN ONTARIO

ISSUES AND SUBMISSIONS

PRO BONO SERVICES IN ONTARIO

FOLA has long believed that a sustainable, appropriately and adequately funded legal aid system is critical to the efficient, effective and just functioning of Ontario's justice system.  


Ontario has one of the best legal aid systems in the world, but it is far from perfect and FOLA is actively involved in a number of initiatives to make the system better for both low-income clients who use the system and the lawyers who utilize funding from Legal Aid.  

VISIT OUR LEGAL AID PAGE

ISSUES AND SUBMISSIONS

ISSUES AND SUBMISSIONS

ISSUES AND SUBMISSIONS

On May 30th 2019, FOLA submitted our formal response to the Law Society's  Access to Justice Committee's review of the LSO’s Access to Justice Approach.   You can read background on the LSO's Committee Review, FOLA's submission, and submissions from other Law Associations by clicking on the blue button below

READ MORE

ACCESS TO JUSTICE WEEK 2022

OCTOBER 24-28 2022

The Law Society of Ontario hosted its seventh Access to Justice Week, from October 24 to 28, 2022. The program was held virtually with two events hosted in person: The Sunrise Ceremony and the panel discussion, Recent developments in access to justice for Indigenous Peoples.


Sessions centered on exploring the qualitative and quantitative data currently available to the justice sector, what data should be collected, and how data can be effectively used to understand and address the legal needs of Canadians.


Other highlights included career pathways for paralegals, dangerous workplaces and low pay, barriers to accessing justice for Indigenous, trans people, women, ethnic minorities and low income populations in Canada, as well as the role of technology in the legal system.


Access to Justice Week brings together a range of justice sector stakeholders locally and from across Canada to develop meaningful, public-centred solutions that advance systemic change in the justice system. This Week is an opportunity to learn about new initiatives, connect with diverse partners and explore critical access to justice issues from different perspectives.


For the latest updates from TAG, subscribe to TAG eNews.


CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROGRAM

ISSUES & SUBMISSIONS - a2J

On May 30th 2019, FOLA submitted our formal response to the Law Society's  Access to Justice Committee's review of the LSO’s Access to Justice Approach.  


You can read our submission here.


Background

From Feb to May 31st 2019, the Law Society’s Access to Justice Committee sought input from lawyers, paralegals, legal and community organizations, and the public to assist in its ongoing review of the Law Society’s approach to access to justice. 


The initiatives are described in a Consultation Paper


The Committee's conclusions stated that:

"Legal needs have a profound negative impact on individuals and society in Ontario. To address these needs with finite resources and a defined regulatory mandate, the Law Society should ensure its access to justice initiatives are effective and consistent with its statutory functions. To that end, the Committee is analyzing the initiatives, which generally fall into four categories:

1) Facilitating access to legal services

2) Promoting accurate and clear legal information for the public

3) Supporting an accessible, fair and effective justice system

4) Providing assistance to external organizations


As part of its analysis the Committee sought responses to the following questions:

1. What do you think of the Law Society’s current access to justice initiatives?

2. Should some of these initiatives be enhanced? If so, which ones and why?

3. Should some of these initiatives be reduced? If so, which ones and why?

4. Should the Law Society launch new access to justice initiatives? If so, which ones and why?

5. What do you or your organization do to facilitate access to justice? Could the Law Society collaborate with you on your initiatives? If so, how?

6. Should the Law Society institute a levy on lawyers and paralegals to support additional

access to justice initiatives?

7. Do you have additional comments on the Law Society’s approach to access to justice?


Read the report here


SUBMISSIONS:  Access to Justice Committee’s Request for Input, May 2019

Read FOLA's Submission  here

Read the Toronto Law Association's Submission here

Read the  County of Carleton Law Association’s Submission here

The Invisible Crisis: Coping & Caring for Mental Health

A SPECIAL FOLA/LSO PANEL ON MENTAL HEALTH DURING #A2JWEEK 2020.  


PANELISTS

Alysia Davies, Staff Clinician and Presenter at Homewood Health

Beth Beattie, Senior counsel at the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General

Janet Ozembloski, VP, Legal Counsel, and Privacy Officer at Medcan. 


A2J FEDERAL INITIATIVES

ACCESS TO JUSTICE

LET'S TALK OPEN GOVERNMENT

LET'S TALK OPEN GOVERNMENT

The Department of Justice Canada considers access to justice to be a fundamental value of the Canadian justice system, flowing from our country’s respect for the rule of law. Justice Canada is working to advance a people-centered approach to justice that puts consideration of the individual at the heart of justice responses by providing access to information, programs and policies.


Justice Canada is guided in its efforts to promote access to justice by the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), whose overarching principle is to “leave no one behind.” Sustainable Development Goal 16, or SDG 16, commits the global community to work together to “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.” Justice Canada is the lead department within the Government of Canada for achieving SDG 16.

VISIT A2J CANADA WEBSITE

LET'S TALK OPEN GOVERNMENT

LET'S TALK OPEN GOVERNMENT

LET'S TALK OPEN GOVERNMENT

Consultations are currently being conducted by the Government of Canada (through the Treasury Board) in an effort to establish an access to justice commitment in the open government plan.


Access to justice means that people have access to the information, resources and mechanisms necessary to effectively resolve their legal problems – issues that can impact many areas of their lives, such as housing, employment, education, health, and public safety.  

LEARN MORE AND HAVE YOUR SAY!

PRO BONO SERVICES IN ONTARIO

Justice for Children and Youth

Justice for Children and Youth is a specialty legal clinic which provides legal services for young people under 18 and homeless youth under 25 in Ontario. They also provide basic, understandable legal information for parents.


Pro Bono Students Canada

  • Appeals Assistance Project Crown Wardship Pilot Program: volunteers assist unrepresented, low income litigants appealing crown wardship no access orders.
  • Civil Court Project (Toronto): a Pro Bono Law Ontario self-help centre at the Superior Court in Toronto to assists low-income, unrepresented civil litigants.
  • Duty Counsel for Law Society Discipline Committee Hearings: volunteer lawyers assist unrepresented solicitors at Law Society Discipline Committee Hearings.
  • Eviction Prevention Project (Western): assists low-income renters facing eviction proceedings.
  • Family Law Project - relies on volunteers from all six Ontario law schools to provide services to unrepresented litigants in Windsor, Kingston, Ottawa, London, Toronto, North York, Milton and Brampton.
  • Federal Court Assistance Project: provides low-income, unrepresented litigants in the Federal Court with the assistance of counsel on matters with a reasonable prospect of success.
  • Health Law Student Advocacy Project (Toronto, Osgoode, Ottawa): helps unrepresented complainants by providing legal information, offering assistance with written submissions, and appearing on their behalf before the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board (HPARB). The HPARB reviews decisions made by the Complaints Committees of Ontario’s health professions Colleges.
  • Immigration and Refugee Detention Centre Project (Osgoode, Toronto): volunteer students go to provincial detention centres to present information to detainees on the immigration and refugee law process in Canada.
  • Judicial Plea: The Appeals Assistance Project: matches volunteers to low-income, unrepresented litigants for civil appeals. Services range from brief advice to full representation, including attendance at hearings.
  • Justice Ontario: a website and phone hotline provides Ontarians with a one-stop entry point for accessing legal resources and basic information on the most common justice-related topics. A project of the Ministry of the Attorney General, it also provides easy access to legal resources such as lawyer referral services and family law information centres.
  • Not-for-Profit Corporate Law Project (Toronto): addresses the vital business needs of non-profit organizations in Ontario in the areas of incorporation, charitable status registration, corporate maintenance and governance, and others.
  • Ontario Securities Commission Litigation Assistance Program: offers volunteer litigation services to unrepresented respondents appearing in enforcement proceedings for the Ontario Securities Commission.
  • Rural Entrepreneurial Legal Handbook Project (Queen’s): helps provide legal information to rural communities by researching and developing legal resources for rural communities in Eastern Ontario. Student volunteers are working to produce a legal handbook for entrepreneurs starting small, rural businesses in the region.
  • Small Claims Court Project (Toronto): provides general procedural and legal information enabling these individuals to complete the court process as independently as possible. In addition to providing information, a duty counsel lawyer can attend hearings or settlement conferences, help clients identify the legal issues related to their case, provide information on the rules and procedures of small claims court and answer general legal questions.
  • Tax Court of Canada Advocacy Project: offers representation to appellants in the informal procedure, with claims under $25,000. This project also operates in Quebec and is a pilot project in Nova Scotia.
  • Wills Project (Toronto, Osgoode): volunteers draft wills and powers of attorney for low-income clients.

Downloads

CCLA Letter to MAG & LSO re PBO Help Centres 2018 (pdf)Download
A2J Committee Report -Convocation - Feb 2019 (pdf)Download
TLA Access to Justice Submissions-May 2019 (pdf)Download
LSO Access to Justice Submission May 2019 - FOLA (pdf)Download
CCLA Access to Justice Submission-May 2019 (pdf)Download
TAG_A2J_Summary_2020 (pdf)Download
A2J Report 2021 Final (pdf)Download

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