There are many avenues for average Torontonians to find not only a lawyer, but the right lawyer for their particular case.  Unfortunately, most of these avenues are inconvenient and sometimes very costly (e.g. an initial meeting with a lawyer could run you a few hundred bucks!).

More often than not, people find a lawyer through word of mouth referrals from family, friends, colleagues, or other professionals they do know (e.g. bankers, accountants, consultants, real estate agents, insurance agents, paralegals, other lawyers they know, etc.).  This, in fact, is how most lawyers find their clients.

Alternatively, people may turn to the Yellow Pages and simply pick an advertisement and make a phone call.  I’ve been told that people tend to pick the biggest advertisement because they somehow believe that the bigger the ad, the more successful the lawyer or law firm.

They may even turn to the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Lawyer Referral Service, which charges users $6 for a 30-minute conversation with one lawyer.

The point here is that finding the right lawyer for you is an important undertaking.  You don’t want to have the lawyer who drafted your will or acted on your house deal to represent you in a criminal case: they may not be up-to-date on court room procedure or have experience cross-examining adverse parties.

Torontonians generally only need a lawyer for a limited time and have a limited budget for such engagements. Yet it is hard for these people to distinguish lawyers and law firms from each other, especially given that many small and medium law firms have a general practice. It may also be intimidating for them to approach lawyers with their legal issues, given that doing so may cost money (e.g. $500 for the initial hour visit) and ultimately retaining a lawyer could be very expensive given the uncertainty of hourly billings.

These factors make ordinary Torontonians shy away from seeking or hiring lawyers. Those sophisticated Torontonians who surf the Web looking for a lawyer are hungry for more information than what is provided in the YellowPages or a newspaper advertisement. They are doing a Google or Yahoo search to seek out a particular type of attorney in a particular field in a particular area. They are also looking for testimonials and looking for the experience of a lawyer.

All in all, it makes perfect sense for users facing these challenges to turn to Dynamic Lawyers as a way of finding the right lawyer for the right price.  Making a post is free and anonymous, posts remain on the website for up to 45 days, and users have the opportunity to receive information and multiple quotes from local lawyers specializing in the area of law requested.  Comparing answers and then following up with the lawyer of your choice is just plain smart – particularly in a field where it is hard to compare one service provider from the next.  All in all, a very good deal…

So now that you have found the right avenue to find a lawyer in a convenient and cost-effective manner: what next?  Well, let’s talk about legal fees.  Many lawyers will charge you a fixed fee for the first consultation.  At this meeting, they’ll ask you questions about yourself and your situation.  The lawyer is trying to understand the legal issues so that he can offer you some type of recommendation on how to proceed.  If the meeting goes well, you may end up signing the lawyer’s retainer agreement, which stipulates the services that are going to be offered and the fees that are going to be charged.  The fees are typically hourly fees ranging from $200 to upwards of $1000 / hour, depending on the size of the law firm, where it’s located (and it’s physical appearance and amenities), and the particular lawyer’s expertise and reputation.

At the first meeting with the lawyer, you should ask some basic questions related to:

1. What services will the lawyer specifically provide;
2. Billing, costs and budget;
3. Time line;
4. Communication (e.g. by phone, e-mail, etc. and how regularly);
5. Past Experience in a particular field;
6. Strategy;
7. Style (e.g. aggressive trial lawyer or alternative dispute resolution lawyer); and
8. Terminating the retainer (e.g. failure to pay, failure to act, breakdown in the relationship, loss of confidence, etc.).

written by admin \\ tags: breach of contract, charity status, Civil Litigation, commercial agreements, company intellectual property, criminal case, criminal offence, divisional court, employment agreement, family friends, finding the right lawyer, government action, government need, human rights and freedoms, landlord and tenant, law firms, law firms toronto law office toronto, law society of upper canada, lawyer referral service, lawyers, lawyers in Toronto, legal claim, legal toronto, notarize, referrals, small claims court, support government, toronto law firms, toronto lawyer, toronto legal services, Wills and Estates

Toronto law firms can help answer your legal questions, facilitate your transaction (e.g. business, real estate, wills and estates, family, etc.) or even represent you in court.  To find a Toronto lawyer or law firm, go to Dynamic Lawyers and make a post.  It’s free and anonymous and Toronto lawyers and law firms will respond to you with information and quotes for you to compare.

Here are some of the different types of legal services that Toronto law firms can offer:

• Accidents and Injuries: Involved in an accident where you suffered personal injury?
• Business: Need corporate or commercial agreements? Need to have a lawyer help you do a transaction?
• Charities and Not-For-Profit: Need to establish a Not-For-Profit corporation or obtain charity status?
• Civil Litigation – Higher Court: Have a serious legal claim that needs to be litigated in the Superior Court, Divisional Court, etc.?
• Civil Litigation – Small Claims Court: Have a legal claim (e.g. breach of contract, negligence, etc.) for less than $10,000?
• Constitutional / Human Rights and Freedoms: Challenging a law or government action / inaction?
  Criminal: Charged with a criminal offence? Appealing a conviction?
• Employment and Labour: Need an employment agreement? Unjustly terminated? Need to know your rights?
• Family: Going through a separation or divorce? Fighting to get custody or access? Dealing with spousal and child support?
• Government: Need to lobby the government? Need to resolve a dispute with a government agency?
• Highway Traffic Tickets: Charged with speeding or DUI? Need to fight traffic tickets?
• Immigration: Need to immigrate to Canada? Fighting against deportation?
• Insurance: Having difficulties with your Insurance company?.
• Intellectual Property: Need to register a copyright or trademark? Need help with a patent?
• Landlord and Tenant: Need a resolve a dispute? Need to know your rights?.
• Notary Public / Commissioner: Need to notarize or commission your documents?
• Real Estate: Need someone to facilitate your residential or commercial purchase, sale, or lease?
• Tax: Need help structuring your tax affairs? Need help resolving tax disputes with the Canada Revenue Agency?
• Wills, Estates and Trusts: Need a will? Need to update your will? Find out why having an up-to-date will is a must.

Try to consult with a couple of Toronto law firms and Toronto attorneys until you’re comfortable with whom you’re speaking with.  Toronto law firms differ in size, location, expertise, and reputation.  Go to Dynamic Lawyers and save time and money finding the right Toronto law firms and Toronto attorneys who specialize in the legal area you require!

written by admin \\ tags: breach of contract, charity status, Civil Litigation, commercial agreements, company intellectual property, criminal offence, divisional court, employment agreement, government action, government need, human rights and freedoms, landlord and tenant, law firms toronto law office toronto, lawyers in Toronto, legal claim, legal toronto, notarize, small claims court, support government, toronto law firms, toronto lawyer, toronto legal services, Wills and Estates

Toronto law firms can help answer your legal questions, facilitate your transaction (e.g. business, real estate, wills and estates, family, etc.) or even represent you in court.  To find a Toronto lawyer or law firm, go to Dynamic Lawyers and make a post.  It’s free and anonymous and Toronto lawyers and law firms will respond to you with information and quotes for you to compare.

Here are some of the different types of law that Toronto law firms can assist you in:

• Accidents and Injuries: Involved in an accident where you suffered personal injury?
• Business: Need corporate or commercial agreements? Need to have a lawyer help you do a transaction?
• Charities and Not-For-Profit: Need to establish a Not-For-Profit corporation or obtain charity status?
• Civil Litigation – Higher Court: Have a serious legal claim that needs to be litigated in the Superior Court, Divisional Court, etc.?
• Civil Litigation – Small Claims Court: Have a legal claim (e.g. breach of contract, negligence, etc.) for less than $10,000?
• Constitutional / Human Rights and Freedoms: Challenging a law or government action / inaction?
  Criminal: Charged with a criminal offence? Appealing a conviction?
• Employment and Labour: Need an employment agreement? Unjustly terminated? Need to know your rights?
• Family: Going through a separation or divorce? Fighting to get custody or access? Dealing with spousal and child support?
• Government: Need to lobby the government? Need to resolve a dispute with a government agency?
• Highway Traffic Tickets: Charged with speeding or DUI? Need to fight traffic tickets?
• Immigration: Need to immigrate to Canada? Fighting against deportation?
• Insurance: Having difficulties with your Insurance company?.
• Intellectual Property: Need to register a copyright or trademark? Need help with a patent?
• Landlord and Tenant: Need a resolve a dispute? Need to know your rights?.
• Notary Public / Commissioner: Need to notarize or commission your documents?
• Real Estate: Need someone to facilitate your residential or commercial purchase, sale, or lease?
• Tax: Need help structuring your tax affairs? Need help resolving tax disputes with the Canada Revenue Agency?
• Wills, Estates and Trusts: Need a will? Need to update your will? Find out why having an up-to-date will is a must.

Try to consult with a couple of Toronto law firms and Toronto attorneys until you’re comfortable with whom you’re speaking with.  Toronto law firms differ in size, location, expertise, and reputation.  Go to Dynamic Lawyers and save time and money finding the right Toronto law firms and Toronto attorneys who specialize in the legal area you require!

written by admin \\ tags: accident, accidents, agreement, attorneys, breach, breach of contract, charity status, Civil Litigation, commercial agreements, commissioners, company intellectual property, contracts, conviction, corpor, corporation, court, criminal, criminal offence, custody, different, different types of law, divisional court, family, firms, government need, human rights and freedoms, injuries, injury, insurance, landlord and tenant, law, lawyer, lawyers, legal claim, litigants, litigation, money, negligence, notarize, notary, offence, publicity, purchaser, quotes, separation, small claims court, support government, toronto, toronto law firms, toronto lawyer, toronto lawyers, traffic, types of law, Wills and Estates

Free legal advice?  Absolutely!  There are a number of websites the point Ontarians in the right direction to get free legal advice, services, and information.  Many of these services are offered to low-income residents, students, the disadvantaged or alienated segments of society, and certain ethnic groups.  These services are largely free to those who qualify and deal with a broad range of legal areas (e.g. landlord and tenant, advocacy and court/tribunal representation, employment, Canada Pension Plan, Ontario Disability, etc.):

1. 1. Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto: Multi-service legal agency serving Toronto’s Aboriginal community. It offers court cervices, community council, legal clinic, aboriginal persons (gladue) court.
   2. Advocacy Centre for the Elderly: Community based legal clinic for low-income senior citizens.
   3. Advocates for Injured Workers: Student legal clinic supervised by the Industrial Accident Victims Group of Ontario which provides legal services to inured workers.
   4. Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO): Works to better the housing situation of low-income Ontario residents including tenants, co-op members and people who are homeless. ACTO achieves this through: legal representation; lobbying and law reform; housing policy work; community organizing; and, public legal education.
   5. African Canadian Legal Clinic (ACLC): Specialty legal clinic that provides advice and represents African Canadians in all legal forums, particularly in the courts through race-based test cases that are likely to result in significant legal precedents. Besides participating in test cases, the ACLC consults on the African Canadian community’s behalf and submits legislative and policy briefs, and makes oral submissions on several issues.
   6. Chatham-Kent Legal Clinic: Free Legal Clinic offering various legal services to low income residents of Chatham-Kent.
   7. Community Advocacy & Legal Centre: Community legal centre providing free legal advice to low income residents of Hastings, Prince Edward and Lennox and Addington Counties. The clinic is funded by Legal Aid Ontario.
   8. Community Legal Education Ontario: Community legal clinic dedicated to providing low-income and disadvantaged people in Ontario with the legal information they need to understand and exercise their legal rights.
   9. Community Legal Services: Student legal clinic offering free legal advice and representation to the community and to Fanshawe College and the University of Western Ontario.  Financial eligibility rules apply. Funded by Legal Aid Ontario. Funded by Legal Aid Ontario, Fanshawe Student’s Council, the University Students Council, and the Faculty of Law.
   10. Community Legal Clinic – Simcoe, Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes is a legal clinic in Ontario that offers client counselling, client representation, public education seminars, law reform and community development.
   11. Community Legal Clinic of York Region: Assistance with housing issues for tenants, Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program, and Employment Insurance matters to residents of the York Region.
   12. Downtown Legal Services: Community legal clinic operated by Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. Areas of law covered include children’s rights, immigration and refugee, criminal, tenants’ rights, academic offences and appeals. Financial eligibility rules apply. They do not offer assistance with criminal or family law cases.
   13. Durham Community Legal Clinic: Legal clinic offering free legal services to low income residents of Durham Region.  They work with individuals, groups, and service providers to improve legal rights and promote access to justice.
   14. Dundurn Community Legal Services: Hamilton’s three community legal clinics, Dundurn Community Legal Services, Hamilton Mountain Legal & Community Services and McQuesten Legal & Community Services, offer a variety of legal services to low income residents of Hamilton. Services are largely free for those who qualify.
   15. Dynamic Lawyers: Need a Toronto Lawyer?  Make a Post.  Get Free information and Quotes!
   16. Elgin-Oxford Legal Clinic: Legal clinic offering the free legal services in the following areas: landlord-tenant matters, Ontario Works and Ontario Disability, Employment Insurance, Canada Pension Plan, Powers of Attorney, Legal Aid Ontario, representation before courts or tribunals, summary legal advice, and referrals to other agencies who can help.
   17. Flemingdon Community Legal Services: Public legal education, advocacy activities, and free legal assistance to low income people.
   18. Grey-Bruce Community Legal Clinic: Free legal information, advice and representation to low income residents of Grey and Bruce Counties.
   19. Guelph and Wellington County Legal Clinic: Free legal advice to low-income people in Guelph and Wellington County.
   20. Income Security Advocacy Centre: Works with and on behalf of low income communities in Ontario to address issues of income security and poverty.
   21. Jane Finch Community Legal Services:Provides free, quality, unbiased legal services, including public legal education, law reform and community development to low income residents within the geographic boundaries of the organization
   22. Justice For Youth and Children: A non-profit legal aid clinic that specializes in protecting the rights of those facing conflicts with the legal system, education, social service or mental health systems. The provide summary legal advice, information and assistance to young people, parents (in education matters), professionals and community groups across Ontario.
   23. Keewaytinok Native Legal Services: Community legal clinic for low income people and their organizations in the James and Hudson Bay areas.
   24. Kenora Community Legal Clinic: Provides services to Kenora, Ear Falls, Perrault Falls, Red Lake, Vermilion Bay, Sioux Narrows, Redditt and Minaki, as well as to 13 First Nations in the Kenora District. The Clinic assists low income clients with problems in areas such as housing (eviction or repairs and maintenance), social assistance (Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program), Criminal Injuries Compensation, Canada Pension Plan disability, denial of Employment Insurance benefits, delayed birth certificates, and status applications. We also provide basic advice or direction for a broad range of topics.  The Clinic is funded by Legal Aid Ontario and shares office space with the Legal Aid Area Office where legal aid certificates are provided for family and criminal matters.
   25. Legal Line: Provides free legal information to Canadians through its website, telephone and fax-on-demand systems.  1,000 topics are covered within 35 areas of law.
   26. LegalTree: Collaborative legal resource with legal research resources maintained by the site administrators, and legal literature contributed by lawyers in the Canadian legal community.
   27. Legal Aid Ontario: Legal aid provided to low income individuals and disadvantaged communities for a variety of legal problems, including criminal matters, family disputes, immigration and refugee hearings and poverty law issues such as landlord/tenant disputes, disability support and family benefits payments. Financial eligibility rules apply. Their website includes an alphabetical list of legal aid offices and community legal clinics in Ontario.
   28. Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Legal Clinic: Serves low income residents of Lanark, Leeds and Grenville. Free legal service which provides lawyers to advise low income residents of their legal rights and to represent them before government boards and tribunals.  Funded by Legal Aid Ontario.
   29. North Peel & Dufferin legal aid clinic: Provides summary legal advice and legal representation for low income people in Brampton, Caledon and Dufferin.  Initial advice by telephone. Clients are seen by appointment only.  The Clinic assists with problems relating to Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program, Canada Pension Plan, residential tenancies, and some immigration matters (but NOT refugee claims).  The Clinic provides legal education seminars in areas of law specialized by the clinic, and participates in law reform and community development efforts.  The Clinic DOES NOT provide services in family, refugee or criminal law.  Although services are generally free, clients may be asked to reimburse the legal clinic for disbursements (such as payment for medical reports or filing fees).
   30. Ottawa (West End) Legal Services: A community legal clinic
       that has been serving low income residents, who live in the west
       end of Ottawa, since 1981. Funded by Legal Aid Ontario.
       
   31. Parkdale Community Legal Services: A community legal clinic located on Queen Street in the west end of Toronto, Canada. They  provide free legal advice, assistance and representation to low income residents living in the Parkdale and Swansea area. Funded by Legal Aid Ontario and Osgoode Hall Law School of York University.
   32. Pro Bono Law Ontario: Law Help Ontario offers court-based self-help centres for unrepresented litigants and online resources for people who cannot afford a lawyer. Offices are located in Toronto.
   33. Queen’s University Legal Aid: Provides legal advice and representation to full-time students at Queen’s University and low-income area residents.  Funding comes from Legal Aid Ontario, the Faculty of Law, and Queen’s student activity fees.
   34. Rexdale Community Legal Clinic: Legal services to the low income community of Northern Etobicoke carried out by lawyers and community legal workers, including activities which encourage access to justice.
   35. Ryerson Student Union (RSU): Offers free legal advice to Ryerson Students.  RSU’s Lawyer is Bill Reid who holds both an MBA as well as a law degree. Mr. Reid has been practicing law for 14 years, and counselling students in particular for ten.  Mr. Reid assists students with the following matters: family and criminal law, debt issues, landlord and tenant conflicts, corporate law, real estate, intellectual property issues, immigration and problems with government agencies.
   36. South Etobicoke Community Legal Services: Not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to providing free legal services to low-income people in the South Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario. Their mission is protecting and promoting the legal welfare of community members by offering services to the community through a network of volunteers and staff members, where language, financial hardship or disability will not act as barriers.
   37. Toronto Justice for Children and Youth: Not-for-profit legal aid clinic that provides select representation to low-income children and youth in Toronto and vicinity.  Specializes in protecting the rights of those facing conflicts with the legal system, education, social service or mental health systems. They give give summary legal advice, information and assistance to young people, parents (in education matters), professionals and community groups across Ontario.
   38. University of Ottawa Community Legal Clinic: Provides legal services to low-income people, students, and members of historically disadvantaged groups within the Ottawa community.  Services are provided free of charge in both English and French. The Clinic provides public legal education, legal advice, representation at court for a variety of civil, criminal, and tenant-related matters. They also assist women who have been victims of violence obtain compensation, and have a unique aboriginal division with aboriginal law students who provide legal services to members of Ottawa’s aboriginal community.
   39. Volunteer Lawyers Services (VLS): A registered project of Pro Bono Law Ontario that offers free legal support to eligible charitable and not-for-profit organizations in Ontario that otherwise could not afford the services of a lawyer. VLS matches community agencies with volunteer lawyers who can help with a range of services such as incorporation, charitable registration, board governance, contracts, or trademark registrations.
   40. Waterloo Region Community Legal Services: Not-for-Profit organization dedciated to providing legal services to those who meet the criteria for financial eligibility in the Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge area.   Their objective is to advocate for justice, particular in support of secure housing and fair and adequate income to supplement or replace wages from employment.

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