Finding a Lawyer

Community Legal Clinics

Community legal clinics provide legal services to low-income people in areas such as housing, employment insurance, income support, immigration, human rights, and workers’ compensation. Some clinics also provide assistance with wills, powers of attorney, and education law. To find the community legal clinic nearest you, visit the Legal Aid Ontario web site or call Legal Aid Ontario.

Law Office of Russell I Alexander, Family Lawyers

This law firm focuses exclusively on family law. Russell I Alexander offers pre-separation legal advice and helps clients who are going through a separation and/or a divorce. This office assists clients with family related issues including: custody and access, separation agreements, child and spousal support, division of family property, paternity disputes, and enforcement of court orders. Their lawyers negotiate settlements for their clients, and if a fair and reasonable settlement cannot be achieved they prepare and argue motions and trials.

Law Society of Upper Canada

Offers information on finding and working with a lawyer, web site:

Legal Advice for Victims of Domestic Violence

Legal Aid Ontario can provide authorization for a two-hour consultation with a family law lawyer through a form called “Advice Lawyer Family Violence Authorization”. Community legal clinics, student legal aid societies, and women’s shelters should have these forms to give to abused women. Contact the women’s shelter in your community or call Legal Aid Ontario for the phone number and location of the legal clinic or student legal aid society nearest you.

Legal Aid Ontario

Office of the Children’s Lawyer

Provides court-appointed legal representation for children up to 18 years of age, call:

Advocacy Centre for the Elderly

Provides legal advice and information to low-income seniors 60 years of age and older on issues such as elder abuse, home care, nursing homes and homes for the aged, and powers of attorney; phone and web site:

ARCH Disability Law Centre

Provides legal information to people with disabilities, and some representation in precedent-setting cases involving disability issues. ARCH has an accessible library of materials on disability-related issues that is open to the public; phone and web site:

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Provides support, treatment, and education for people with mental health and addiction problems and their families. Publications on youth and addiction, and information on drug and alcohol policies in Ontario schools are available through their web site:

CLEO (Community Legal Education Ontario / Éducation juridique communautaire Ontario)

Provides clear language legal education and information materials for low-income and disadvantaged people in Ontario. CLEO’s materials address issues in many areas of law, including family, domestic violence, social assistance, housing, and immigration and refugee law. Most materials are also available in
French. All print publications are free and can be viewed online.

CLEONet

An online collection of public legal education resources for community workers.