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Accessing Legal Services in Canada

There are three ways to access legal services in Canada. You can pay for your own lawyer, you can try to get legal aid and, in criminal cases, you can apply to get a court-appointed lawyer.

Obtaining the Services of a Lawyer

In most cases, lawyers will provide you with a half hour of free legal advice. This can help you determine if you have a case. If you are involved in a criminal case, you will need to pay for the lawyer’s time and for various court costs. If it is a personal injury case, it is often dealt with via a contingency arrangement. If you win, the lawyer gets a percentage of the settlement.

Legal Aid

There have been severe reductions in the availability of legal aid in Canada. The Canadian Government has issued a report on the state of legal aid in Canada.

If you want to access legal aid you can find out more here.

Court Appointed Lawyers

The government has set the bar very high for accessing court appointed lawyers. Availability is based on both need and the interests of justice.