Legal Resources

Getting Legal Help

If you are charged with a crime, it is important to get legal help. These are resources which are available in Ontario to help people who have been charged with a criminal offence.

As the COVID-19 Pandemic continues, how you can access these services will continue to evolve. You can stay up to date with changes to Legal Aid Services, HERE. Be sure to check each organization’s website, which are linked below, to find out how to access legal support during the Pandemic.

If you need help connecting with any of the below resources, contact BIST info@bist.ca or 416-830-1485

Duty Counsel

Duty Counsel provides free legal help for people who are low income who are eligible for Legal Aid. They are available in most courts in Ontario. They can help people who are in court without legal representation on the day of their court appearance. They do not provide long term legal representation.

Find a Duty Counsel Office, HERE.

Legal Aid Certificates

Legal Aid Certificates can help pay for the cost of a lawyer. Once you have the certificate, you will need to find a lawyer who accepts legal aid. You can apply for a Legal Aid Certificate by calling Ontario’s Client Service Centre at 416-979-1446 OR 1-800-668-8258. Legal Aid is available to people who are low income and who have very few assets (such as owning a house). You can find out more about legal aid’s financial criteria, HERE.

You can find a lawyer – including lawyers who accept legal aid – by searching Legal Aid Ontario’s lawyer directory, HERE.

You can also call BIST or your Local Brain Injury Association for information.
BIST: 416-830-1485 OR info@bist.ca

Community Legal Clinics

Some community legal clinics help with criminal law issues. Community Legal Clinics normally do not charge for services, but you may need to pay extra fees such as court filing or medical record fees. You need to access the legal clinic which serves your area.

If that particular clinic offers criminal law services, they may be able to help you.

To find your local clinic, enter your postal code, HERE

Specialty Community Legal Clinics

Three Specialty Legal Clinics – community legal clinics which specialize in serving specific communities or areas of the law providing criminal legal services.

These are:

Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto (ALST)
Legal help, legal education, and community development to Aboriginal people in
Toronto.
Website: www.aboriginallegal.ca
Phone Numbers: 416-408-3967; 416-408-4041; Toll-free: 1-844-633-2886

Black Legal Action Centre (BLAC)
Delivers legal aid to low or no income Black Ontarians.
Website: www.blacklegalactioncentre.ca
Phone Numbers: 416-597-5831; Toll-free: 1-877-736-9406

Justice for Children and Youth
Free confidential legal advice for youth under 18 and homeless youth under 25 in Ontario.
Website: https://jfcy.org/en/
Phone: 416-920-1633 OR 1-866-999-5329

Student Legal Clinics

These community legal clinics, staffed by law students and supervised by licensed lawyers, provide criminal legal services to those who qualify. They are located in towns in Ontario where there is a university with a law school.

Wrongfully Convicted

Provides legal and financial support to low income people in Canada who have been wrongfully convicted of homicide and have completed an appeal of the conviction to the provincial Court of Appeal.

Innocence Canada
https://www.innocencecanada.com/