waterloo region law association

The library is for the use of WRLA and LSO members only. Library staff cannot provide legal advice, research assistance, or referrals to the public. Should you need legal advice or a lawyer or paralegal please see the list of community legal organizations listed below, many of which offer free referral services. You can also browse our member directory by clicking the Find a Lawyer or Paralegal button above. 

COMMUNITY LEGAL ORGANIZATIONS

• Waterloo Region Community Legal Services — Provide legal assistance in specific areas of law to low-income individuals and families ranging from summary advice to full representation. Call 519-743-0254.
• Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre — Provide interpreter and document translation services to public and private sector clients. Document translation is done by professional translators and they strive for a quick turnaround on both price quotes and the translated document. They can also certify the translation as a Commissioner of Oaths. Call 519-745-2531. 
• Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) — Provides low-income individuals access to a range of legal services tailored to meet their legal needs through its website and toll free number. Call 1-800-668-8258.
• Pro Bono Ontario — Aims to bridge the gap between lawyers who want to donate their services, and low-income Ontarians whose legal problems aren’t covered by government agencies (e.g. Legal Aid, Children’s Lawyer and PGT). Call 1-855-255-7256.
• Ontario Legal Information Centre — Offers a free 30-minute meeting with a lawyer to anyone in Ontario who is facing a legal problem or whose legal problem is within Ontario. The Centre’s services are confidential, available in person or by telephone, in both English and French.
• Family Justice Centre — Hosts virtual legal clinics for Ontarians dealing with family law issues who are unable to afford a lawyer, but do not meet the threshold to qualify for legal aid services. At the virtual clinics, family law lawyers supervise law students in the delivery of free unbundled legal services to self-represented litigants in Ontario. The FJC also develops public legal education resources to support self-represented litigants in navigating the family law process.
• National Self-Represented Litigants Project — Resources for self-represented litigants including educational content, provincial legal helplines and supports. 
• Law Society of Ontario Referral Service — Connects people looking for legal assistance with a lawyer of paralegal. When you request a referral online through this service, you will be provided with a free consultation of up to 30 minutes. 
• Steps to Justice — Gives reliable and practical information on common legal problems including step-by-step information to help you work through your legal problem; practical tools such as checklists, forms, and self-help guide; referral information for legal and social services across Ontario; and live chat and email support if you cannot find the answer to a question.

FREE EBOOKS FOR SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANTS

• Family Law Handbook for Self Represented Litigants — This Handbook is intended as a reference for self-represented family litigants appearing in Canadian courts. This handbook does not provide legal advice and is not a substitute for the advice that a lawyer may provide. The handbook provides general information only.
• Civil Law Handbook for Self-Represented Litigants — This Handbook is intended as a reference for self-represented civil litigants appearing in Canadian courts. This handbook does not provide legal advice and is not a substitute for the advice that a lawyer may provide.  The handbook provides general information only.
• Criminal Law Handbook for Self-Represented Accused — This Handbook is intended as a reference for self-represented who are accused of committing a crime and are required to appear in a Canadian criminal court (with emphasis on superior court).While this Handbook cannot anticipate all of the possible situations that may arise, it is intended to provide you, the SRL accused, with a starting point to assist and guide you. This handbook does not provide legal advice and is not a substitute for the advice that a lawyer may provide.  The handbook provides general information only.
• Reading and Understanding Case Reports: A Guide for Self-Represented Litigants — The goal of this document is to equip self-reps with the necessary understanding to read a reported court decision when conducting legal research and preparing to present their own case to a court. 
• So You’re Representing Yourself: A Primer to Help You Get Ready to Represent Yourself in Family or Civil Court
• The CanLII Primer: Legal Research Principles and CanLII Navigation for Self-Represented Litigants — The goal of this document is to help self-represented litigants navigate CanLll in order to prepare for the presentation of their cases in court, in chambers, or as part of a negotiation or mediation.