These programs will provide students with an enriched understanding of the fairness and accessibility of our justice system. Law students get on the job experience providing legal aid services As part of Legal Aid Ontario s mixed method of delivering legal aid services, law students at six Ontario universities have the opportunity to volunteer at a student legal aid services society. Under the supervision of full time review counsel, volunteer students provide legal aid services and gain valuable experience. This education and training contributes to maintaining the supply of new lawyers interested in participating in the legal aid system either as private lawyers accepting legal aid certificates, staff lawyers in a clinic, or system administrators or managers. System-wide, approximately 1,500 volunteer law students are involved in these programs each year, at varying degrees of intensity.
Some students receive academic credit as part of their work.
In addition, they provide legal information and support to numerous organizations in low-income communities and are actively engaged in a multitude of community legal education initiatives. We d like to remind all duty counsel of financial eligibility testing program and the correct use of the financial eligibility form. Duty counsel must always consider whether a financial eligibility test is necessary, even though the test may not be required for every client. In accordance with the guidelines, if the service requested requires testing and if there is evidence the client is not financially eligible, testing must be conducted. All services provided by an advice lawyer or through a FLIC are subject to testing.