Legal Aid Ontario funding family law services at university-based student legal aid societies

TORONTO, Sept. 2, 2014 /CNW/ - Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) is providing over $2 million over three years to six university-operated legal clinics to provide family law services for low-income Ontarians.

Starting in September (January for the University of Windsor), four student legal aid services societies will begin offering family law services. The University of Toronto's Downtown Legal Services will be using the funds to expand its existing family law division. All of these societies will use a combination of summer students, in-term students and staff lawyers to broaden access to justice by addressing the unmet legal needs of family litigants.

"Family law is one of the greatest areas of need when it comes to accessing justice," says John McCamus, Chair of LAO. "We believe that law students can help to bridge the growing gaps in legal services – and we are pleased to support these student-run legal clinics to ensure that this happens."

Providing funding for these services is one way that LAO is working to improve access to justice and outcomes for low-income Ontarians. LAO is funding these projects as a result of $30 million over four years in additional funding announced by the Ontario government in May 2013.

Learn More

• Read about the student legal aid services societies' family law services programs
• Provincial government invests $30M in legal aid services

SOURCE: Legal Aid Ontario

For more information about the funding for these programs: Aneurin Thomas, Director General, Policy & Strategic Research, Phone: [phone], Email: [email protected]; Questions: Josephine Li, Communications advisor, Phone: [phone] ext. 6015, Email: [email protected]