​HOW TO QUALIFY - FOR INDIVIDUALS

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Our services are can be accessed by individuals (including groups of people), or by agencies (click here to learn about how agencies can qualify for our services). 

However, you MUST qualify before you can access our services. To qualify for our services, you must: 

1) live in our catchment area 
AND 
2) financially qualify under Legal Aid Ontario's guidelines.  

Our catchment area boundaries are as follows:

• Yonge Street east to the Don Valley Parkway
• Bloor Street south to the Toronto Islands

OUR CATCHMENT AREA

What happens when you qualify

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If you qualify for our services you will need to do an INTAKE with our Reception Desk. This is requirement is imposed on us by Legal Aid Ontario, the Law Society of Ontario, and other laws. You may wish to refer to our Privacy Policy for further details. This requirement cannot be waived. You may do an intake over the phone or in person. Bringing your documents with you, or having them available to fax or email to the clinic when you are creating your intake will help ensure you get a timely appointment. Without documents there will be a delay in scheduling you appointment. 

Once the intake is complete, you will be scheduled for an intake appointment with a caseworker. If you are unable to attend your appointment please contact us in advance. If you do not attend your scheduled appointment we will attempt to reschedule you for another appointment when one becomes available.

You may be asked to provide confirmation of your income before we can serve you.

If you live in our catchment area and financially qualify under Legal Aid Ontario's guidelines, our legal services are FREE.  You may have to pay costs related to your case (such as court costs and filing fees).  Our staff will always discuss these fees with you beforehand. We may also recover any costs awarded to you in your case.

Please note that we reserve the right to decline services even if you otherwise qualify for them. This may be due to many reasons, including a conflict of interest, our case selection criteria, caseload and staff capacity, staff safety issues, or where your case does not possess legal merit to justify use of scarce clinic resources. 

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​Please be aware that completing an intake does NOT create a lawyer-client relationship between NLS and you. A lawyer-client relationship is only formed once a case worker at NLS agrees to act for you and confirms the same in a retainer agreement. Please read our Disclaimer and Privacy Policy for further details.

do you live outside our catchment area?

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