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How do I complain about Legal Aid?

You can file a complaint about any Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) office, community legal clinic, or legal aid lawyer through LAO or the Ombudsman of Ontario.

If you would like to make a complaint to Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) about one of its services, fill out a complaint form [PDF].

You can get help filling out the complaint form by calling LAO for free at 1-800-668-8258.

If you are unhappy with LAO's response to your complaint, you can ask the Complaints Department to review your file.

To find out more about the appeal process, call the Complaints Department at 1-866-874-9786.

If your issue is still not resolved, you can file a complaint about LAO to the Ombudsman of Ontario.

To find out more about the Ombudsman of Ontario, including which organizations they cover, read What is the Ombudsman of Ontario?

What if I have been refused financial assistance from legal aid?

If you have been denied a legal aid certificate, you can appeal the decision. The appeal process is different than filing a complaint.

For More Information

Fact Sheet: Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) Complaints Process - Find detailed information about each step in the complaint process. From Legal Aid Ontario.
Ombudsman Ontario - Official website of the Ombudsman of Ontario. Provides information about their work, how to make a complaint and recent statistics.
Getting Legal Help: A Directory of Community Legal Clinics in Ontario - A clear language listing of Community Legal Clinics (CLCs) across Ontario and their areas of practice. From CLEO - Community Legal Education Ontario.
Justice Ontario - This website has information about Ontario's legal system, including family and criminal law, lawsuits, human rights, wills and estates, and tickets and fines. You can get legal information in over 170 languages.