Intake Interviews for New Clients

If you require legal assistance, please contact the University of Ottawa Community Legal Clinic (the “Clinic”) at 613-562-5600 to schedule an intake interview.

Please note that the Clinic will not schedule intake interviews for new clients on statutory holidays, or during student exam and training sessions.

Our Case Criteria

A client may qualify for our services if all the following conditions are met:

1. The client meets our financial eligibility guidelines

  • The Clinic serves low-income members of the community. Individuals seeking legal services from the Clinic are required to declare their gross monthly household income and its source (e.g. employment or social assistance). Individuals whose income falls below a certain level or who are in receipt of social assistance will be financially eligible for representation or summary legal advice, subject to the remaining criteria.
  • Undergraduate students of the University of Ottawa and Carleton University are automatically financially eligible, subject to the remaining criteria. 

2. The client has a legal problem that meets our geographic criteria

  • Generally, we represent clients who reside in the City of Ottawa regarding legal issues that arose in the City of Ottawa. We do not appear in courts or tribunals outside the City of Ottawa, and are not able to act on matters that occurred in another province, such as Quebec.

3. The client has a legal problem that is within an area of law serviced by the Clinic

Some areas of law practiced by the Clinic:

  • Criminal law, including
    • Drug offenses
    • Theft
    • Assault
    • Mischief
    • Some provincial offenses 
  • Family law, including:
    • Decision-making responsibility
    • Parenting time
    • Child support
    • Spousal support
    • Divorce
  • Tenant law, including 
    • Maintenance and repair issues
    • Rent deposits
    • Termination of tenancy

4. There is no conflict of interest between the client and the Clinic

  • Lawyers are prohibited from taking on a client where they have a conflicting interest against a new client or a former client. This could include cases where a new client has a legal problem involving a former client of the Clinic.
  • Whenever a client approaches the Clinic for legal assistance, we are required to search our database of past clients to ensure that we will not be acting against a previous client of the Clinic.

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