The financial test is based on both income and assets, and takes into account monthly expenses. In some cases, the client may be asked to make some financial contribution to the cost of their legal services. Community legal clinics Legal advice and representation is also available through 70 independent community legal clinics to clients who have problems such as housing, social assistance, pensions, workers' compensation, and employment insurance. Clinic lawyers and community legal workers provide representation, advice, public legal education and information and advocate on behalf of disadvantaged communities. Each clinic is governed by its board of directors who are representative of and responsive to the needs of the clients and their communities.
Some clinics arrange for duty counsel to provide assistance at administrative tribunals.
Services at individual clinics vary, depending on the location, local resources and the needs of the community. Community legal clinics include specialized legal services to groups such as the disabled, elderly, injured workers, and native people. These clinics include the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, Justice for Children and Youth, Advocacy Resource Centre for the Handicapped, Injured Workers' Consultants, Industrial Accident Victims Group of Ontario, the Landlord's Self-Help Centre, and Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto. Community Legal Education Ontario is devoted to the production of public legal education materials for clinic client groups. Duty counsel Duty counsel are lawyers assigned to courts to assist clients who do not have a lawyer with them in the courtroom.