Any person wishing to apply for legal aid must contact the legal aid office closest to their place of residence and schedule an appointment.
Based on the required documentation you provide, an application is filled, and one of our permanent lawyers then reviews your financial eligibility. The lawyer reviewing your application will also determine if the service(s) you apply for is/are covered, in compliance with Legal Aid Act and its regulations
Please note that eligibility assessments are not billed to customers and cannot be completed over the phone.
Eligibility is determined by assessing your financial situation and evaluating service coverage.
If you are eligible, you may fall under one of two categories: free eligibility, or eligibility with contribution (between $100 and $800).
If you receive welfare or social solidarity benefits, you are automatically eligible for legal aid.
In order to determine if you are financially eligible to legal aid, we assess the following, with respect to you and your family:
All sources of income are considered, such as:
Deductions that may apply to your income:
The value of your house and other buildings (standardized value from an up-to-date tax account), and of your investments (RRSP, etc.).
Deductions that may be applied to the value of your assets:
Also considered are amounts held in your bank accounts or in cash, as well as short-terms assets that can be turned into cash, such as shares and savings bonds.
To learn more about eligibility scales, please click on the links below. These PDF files correspond, respectively, to the Free Eligibility Scale, and the Eligibility with Contribution Scale. For more information, you can also visit the Commission des services juridiques website.
Gratuitous legal aid (PDF) Contributory legal aid (PDF)
Are minors eligible to receive legal aid?
Yes, in any of the following circumstances:
Exceptionally, for HAS and SARPA, applicants who were deemed financially inadmissible to receive legal aid may still benefit from these services by paying the following:
At your first appointment, depending on your financial situation, you will have to provide us with certain documents. To find out which ones you need to bring, see the list below and click on the description that best fits your current situation. This list is not exhaustive and we may request that you provide additional documents. If you have any doubts regarding what documents are necessary to asses your eligibility, please communicate with your local legal aid office