The Law Society's Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) provides a free consultation of up to 30 minutes to help you determine your rights and options
You are buying your first home. You are drawing up a will or you are starting a new business. You need a lawyer but you are not sure how to find one. The Law Society's Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) can help.
When you call the LRS, we will provide you with the name of a lawyer who will provide a free consultation of up to 30 minutes to help you determine your rights and options. You can access the service by calling:
1-800-268-8326 or 416-947-3330 (within the GTA)
Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) - Frequently Asked Questions
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1. When is the service available?
2. Is there a cost to the service?
3. How do I access the service?
4. I am in a crisis. Can I still use the LRS?
5. What are the benefits of the LRS?
6. What happens when I call the LRS?
7. My consultation with a lawyer is all set up. What do I do now?
8. I asked the Lawyer Referral Service to give me the name of a lawyer. We met, but I didn't feel comfortable. I would like to find another lawyer to work for me. Can I?
9. I have a simple legal problem and would like a lawyer to
write a letter for me. Can a lawyer do this during my free half-hour consultation?
Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) - Frequently Asked Questions
1. When is the service available?
The service is available from 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday.
2. Is there a cost to the service?
No. The phone call, the referral process, and your initial consultation of up to 30 minutes are all free. However consultation is meant to help you determine your rights and options. You should not expect the lawyer to do any free legal work during this time - that is not its purpose. However, you could certainly ask the lawyer during the consultation what it might cost to have your legal work done.
3. How do I access the service?
Our telephone number is: 1-800-268-8326 or 416-947-3330 (within the GTA). This number can be dialled from any private phone in Ontario. This is a phone-based service only - we regret that we cannot accommodate visitors.
4. I am in a crisis. Can I still use the LRS?
Definitely. However, please read the following carefully:
The way the process works is that when you call the LRS, we give you a referral number and the lawyer's phone number. You then phone the lawyer's office, leave a number where you can be reached, and someone will contact you within three business days to arrange for your consultation.
If you cannot wait at least three days for an initial consultation, or if it would be a problem for you to leave a call-back number for the lawyer, please let us know these facts when you call the LRS. In this situation we can provide you with the names and numbers of three members that you can try to contact. Please note that we do not provide a referral number in this instance.
5. What are the benefits of the LRS?
The LRS will help you find a lawyer who practises in the area of law that meets your needs. The service can also help you find a lawyer who meets specific requirements such as speaking a certain language or accepting Legal Aid certificates.
Lawyers participating in the Service will offer you up to a half-hour free consultation. This consultation may be over the phone, or in person (the choice is up to the lawyer). During this time, you can ask:
* How the law applies to your situation
* How to use the law to solve your legal problem
* How long the legal work may take
* How much the lawyer will charge
After the consultation, you can decide if you want to hire the lawyer to work for you.
6. What happens when I call the LRS?
When you call the Lawyer Referral Service, a Client Service Representative will answer your call and ask you some questions:
* Where in Ontario do you want the lawyer to be located?
* What do you want the lawyer to do for you?
* Are you planning to apply for Legal Aid? The Lawyer Referral Service is available to Legal Aid clients, but some lawyers do not take Legal Aid cases.
The Client Service Representative can also assist you with your special needs - for instance, finding a lawyer who speaks a certain language or has a wheelchair accessible office.
When your needs are clear, you will be given the name and telephone number of a lawyer, as well as a referral number.
Call the lawyer's office, and leave your name and number as well as the referral number. Be sure to tell them you received their name from the Lawyer Referral Service. Someone will call you back within three business days to arrange the free consultation.
7. My consultation with a lawyer is all set up. What do I do now?
The lawyer needs to hear your story. What happened? Why do you want to hire a lawyer?
You can prepare for your conversation with the lawyer in the following ways:
* Think about what you are going to say. Plan to explain your situation clearly and simply, starting from the beginning.
* Gather together any papers that are important. Although the lawyer will not review your documents during the consultation (since that is considered legal work), you may wish to have them with you in case you decide to hire the lawyer.
* When you speak to the lawyer, talk openly. The lawyer needs to know details and sometimes even very personal information in order to understand how the law applies to you.
* During your conversation with the lawyer, you may want to write down a few notes. This may help later, when you are trying to remember exactly what the lawyer said.
The purpose of the consultation is to give you information about how the law applies to you. It is also a chance to find out more about this lawyer. By the end of the consultation, you should know more about your legal options and how much it would cost to hire this lawyer to work for you.
For more information see Finding a lawyer - Frequently Asked Questions.
8. I asked the Lawyer Referral Service to give me the name of a lawyer. We met, but I didn't feel comfortable. I would like to find another lawyer to work for me. Can I?
Yes, definitely. You are under no obligation to use the lawyer whose name you got from the Lawyer Referral Service. (Note: the Lawyer Referral Service does not offer second referrals for the same legal issue. In other words, you may not use the LRS referral process to get a second opinion on the same issue from a different lawyer).
9. I have a simple legal problem and would like a lawyer to write a letter for me. Can a lawyer do this during my free half-hour consultation?
No. During the half-hour consultation, the lawyer's job is to discuss your legal situation and explain your options. The lawyer cannot write letters for you, or prepare other documents as part of the consultation, since this is considered legal work. You can use the Lawyer Referral Service to help you find a lawyer. Then you can discuss how much it would cost to get your legal work done for you.
