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Getting help in the courtroom

What is duty counsel?

Duty counsel are lawyers who can give immediate, legal assistance to low-income people who appear in court without a lawyer.

Duty counsel services are available in many courthouses across Ontario, including more than 28 remote and fly-in locations. Duty counsel assist over one million people a year.

If you have a criminal or family law issue, speak to duty counsel before your court appearance.

Duty counsel services

Duty counsel assist with the following types of legal matters:

• Criminal duty counsel
• Family duty counsel
• Mental health duty counsel
• Tenant duty counsel

Legal Aid Ontario (LAO), an independent but publicly funded and publicly accountable non-profit corporation. None of this material may be commercially reproduced, but copying for other purposes, with credit, is encouraged.