I Need Legal Help
Do I Qualify?
To qualify for our services, you must meet both of the following requirements:
1) Meet the financial eligibility requirements set by Legal Aid Ontario, or be a Fanshawe College or Western University student; and
2) Have a legal issue in the London/Middlesex jurisdiction and the issue must be an area of law covered by our clinic.
Please call 519-661-3352 to inquire about your eligibility and to make an appointment.
Criminal Law
We represent people who have been charged with certain criminal, provincial, and municipal offences. The offence(s) must be before a court located in London, Ontario. We do not provide representation on matters heard outside of London.
Criminal Offences
We represent people charged with most summary conviction Criminal Code and Controlled Substances Act offences. A summary conviction offence is one where the maximum penalty is a $5,000 fine and/or a term of imprisonment of 6 months. We are not able to represent those charged with what is commonly called a “super” summary conviction offence (the maximum penalty is greater than regular summary conviction offences). Please see the list below of the most common “super” summary offences. We are also not able to represent those charged with an indictable offence.
Provincial Offences
We represent people charged with certain provincial offences. These offences are usually under the Highway Traffic Act, Trespass to Property Act, and the Liquor Licence Act. Because of the high demand for our service we can only provide representation on the most serious provincial offences.
Municipal Offences
We represent people charged with municipal offences, which are offences typically under a City of London By-Law. Because of the high demand for our service, we can only provide representation on the most serious municipal offences.
Jurisdiction
Note: The chart below lists some common "super" summary charges for which we cannot provide representation. For a full list of charges that we CAN appear on, please refer to: https://lso.ca/about-lso/legislation-rules/permitted-criminal-code-summary-conviction-offence#list-of-permitted-criminal-code-summary-conviction-offences-for-regulated-agents-as-of-sept-19-201-5
Criminal Code Section | Offence |
s. 95 | Possession of prohibited or restricted firearm |
s. 151 | Sexual interference |
s. 152 | Invitation to sexual touching |
s. 153 | Sexual exploitation |
s. 253 (1)(a)(b) | Impaired driving, over .08, fair or refusal to provide breathalyzer |
s. 264.1 (1)(a) | Uttering death threats or threaten bodily harm |
s. 267 | Assault with a weapon or assault causing bodily harm |
s. 271 | Sexual assault |
s. 279 (2) | Forcible confinement |
s. 733.1 | Failure to comply with a probation order |
Housing / Landlord and Tenant
CLS represents tenants (under the Residential Tenancies Act) in matters such as:
- Rent disputes or unpaid rent
- Non-repair by a landlord
- Harassment or improper entry by a landlord
- Any other disputes between residential tenants and landlords.
Hearings for these disputes are held either in the Landlord and Tenant Board or in the Small Claims Court.
If you have an appointment at CLS, please bring with you the following:
- Any notices or letters from your landlord
- A copy of your lease (if available)
- Photos of areas needing repair
- Any other relevant documents.
Small Claims Court
Community Legal Services handles lawsuits up to the maximum limit in Small Claims Court of $35,000.00. We are unable to assist with lawsuits higher than $35,000.00, which must be brought in the Superior Court. We are also unable to assist with lawsuits outside London.
Here are a few examples of the kinds of cases we take to Small Claims Court:
- Purchase of defective cars
- Improper repairs to houses or cars
- Defending claims from creditors
- Collecting unpaid loans
- Contracts made with door-to-door sales representatives
Our student caseworkers will draft court documents, argue motions, appear with you at the settlement conference, and handle the trial. Most court cases settle before trial.
When you come for your first appointment, please bring all documents and photos with you, as it will help us assess the strength of your case. If there is visible damage to something (or someone), take photos and bring the photos with you.
It is also helpful if you could provide the names and contact information of any potential witnesses. We may need to speak with them.
If you receive a settlement or a judgment in your favour, it does not necessarily mean you will be paid. We can take steps on your behalf to collect the amount owing through garnishment of wages or bank accounts or the seizure of other assets.
Going from start to finish in Small Claims Court will take some time. It will usually take at minimum 6-9 months, and could take over a year.
Family Law
The objectives of our family law services are:
- To assist you to identify your family law issues and to determine the most appropriate course of action for resolution;
- To improve access to justice in family law disputes for persons in the London community;
- To assist and advocate for you to resolve your family law matters in accordance with the primary objective of the Family Law Rules: ensuring efficiency, due process, and dealing with the case in ways that are responsive to the matter’s importance and complexity.
Scope of Family Law Services
- Decision-Making/Parenting Time/Contract
- Child support
- Spousal support
- Limited number of “supplemental” family law issues which may emerge in the context of any of the above issues (e.g., divorce; restraining order, contempt, etc.)
- Assistance to "kin" claimants (e.g. grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc.) in child protection proceedings
- Child protection proceedings
- Uncontested divorces
Services NOT available at Community Legal Services/Family Law
- Equalization/division of family property upon separation
- Adoptions
- Marriage annulments
- Appeals of family law decisions
- Contested divorces
Eligibility for Services
- You must meet our financial eligibility requirements
- In most circumstances, we cannot accept clients who would otherwise qualify for, or already hold, a Legal Aid Certificate
- If you are either commencing court proceedings or are involved in ongoing court proceedings, the matter must be in the jurisdiction of the Superior Court of Justice, Family Division, in London
- Priority is given to referrals received from the Family Law Information Centre (FLIC) or Family Law Duty Counsel located at the London Courthouse
First Appointment:
If you are scheduled for a first/intake appointment with our office, please ensure that you bring the following documents with you for that appointment:
- Copy of any prior Orders made by the court relating to your family/children;
- Copies of any court documents relating to your current family law proceeding;
- Your income tax returns for the last three years;
- A copy of your most recent pay stub or Social Assistant Benefit statement
- Any other relevant/important document identified in your initial telephone call with CLS
Mediation
The Dispute Resolution Centre (DRC) is a not-for-profit organization operated by law students under the supervision of Community Legal Services at Western Law. The DRC provides mediation services to residents of London and Middlesex County who wish to resolve their disputes quickly, efficiently and inexpensively. Mediation is appropriate for many areas of law and the DRC has helped with all kinds of issues including contract breaches, debts, neighbour disputes, evictions, employment disputes, peace bonds, and many others.
How does it work?
- Contact our office and you will speak with a mediation intern. We will conduct your initial intake and ask you to tell us a little about your problem. Since we need to contact the other party in the dispute, you will need to provide us with the other party’s contact information.
- We will contact the other party and let them know you have an interest in mediation. We will explain to them how mediation works and what is involved. Since mediation is a voluntary process, both parties need to agree to mediation before we can continue.
- If both parties are willing to try mediation, a mediation intern will arrange a mediation for a time that is convenient for everyone.
- A mediation is typically no longer than 3 hours of your time. In most cases, it only takes one meeting to reach a resolution.
Contact Us
Student Appeals
CLS handles appeals for Western and Fanshawe College students for academic appeals (failing grade or program withdrawal) or misconduct offences (plagiarism or other academic or personal misconduct).
We are able to represent students only at the final level of appeal. At Western, the final level is the Senate Review Board Academic (SRBA). At Fanshawe, it is the second level appeal.
Both final levels of appeal are in the form of a hearing with witnesses giving evidence.
Your First Meeting
During your first visit here, you will be involved with one of two processes at CLS
- If you are only seeking information on a matter, you will be involved in the “summary advice process”.
- If your matter needs more attention (i.e. court, trial, demand letter, etc.), you will be involved in the “application process”.
The law student will fill out a form stating your facts and they will give you some direction on what you can do about your situation and possible a referral to another organization. This information is recorded on the form and you are given a photocopy. All information is approved by one of the CLS Review Lawyers.
Application ProcessThe law student will fill out an application with the details of your case and all of your financial information. The form is submitted to the Review Lawyer/Director who may determine whether or not you are eligible to obtain further free legal services with our office.
The criteria for acceptance is:
- Financial need
- Availability of a law student to handle the case
- Type of matter
For your first visit, you will be giving only the basic facts regarding your legal issue. If you are accepted as a client, you will often have another appointment during which you can provide a more detailed account of your situation.
You may find out whether you have been accepted while you are in the office. If not, the application process takes anywhere from two days to two weeks. You will be notified by mail or telephone, whether you are accepted or not. If your application is declined, your letter will state the reason for the refusal and you will be referred to another organization.
Please note that students are unable to make decisions on whether or not you will be accepted as a client. This decision is solely that of the Review Lawyer or Director.
Community Legal Services is a teaching clinic and the law students that work on your files are students. As a result we operate differently from a law firm.
The clinic does not accept new clients between semesters or during exams which occur:
- Early December – Mid-January
- Mid-April – Mid-May
- Late August –Late September.