Legal Secondary Consultation: How Legal Aid Can Support Communities and Expand Access to Justice

This report describes an innovative pilot project that took place at 3 community legal clinics in southwestern Ontario to help connect community workers and their clients more effectively to legal advice and referrals. The project work involves making a dedicated legal service professional available to provide one-on-one advice to community service providers. This in turn helps the provider resolve problems for clients seeking help. The report summarizes the findings from the pilot. Lawyers involved with the pilot felt that the pilot was effective in helping break down silos between the clinics and local agencies, expand outreach and services to vulnerable people helped by providers, and increased the efficiency of service by shortening the intake process.