It’s now easier for mediation clients in Ontario to access independent legal advice (ILA).
Anyone, if they qualify, can have up to 6 hours of free legal advice before, during and after mediation.
The Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) pilot project, in Toronto and 13 other locations, covers the cost of 6 hours with a Family Law Information Centre duty counsel, to help parties reach a sustainable agreement and transform it into a legally-binding document.
Under this program, clients can receive advice from a lawyer about:
- the mediation process,
- preparing for the mediation,
- developing a better understanding of their options, and/or
- obtaining a court order or binding agreement to enforce the terms of the mediation agreement.
Eligibility is based on one’s income and number of dependents. At least one party must meet the duty counsel eligibility criteria, eg. income less than $18 000 with no dependents, income less than $31 000 with 2 dependents, etc. The other party cannot earn more than $50,000. For more information visit LAO’s page on eligibility.
The person with the lower income should contact LAO first.
Call LAO’s toll-free number at 1-800-668-8258 for further information. LAO will direct eligible clients to a list of available panel lawyers.
For more information, please visit LAO’s website.
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