JusticeNet allows people who do not qualify for Legal Aid but who cannot afford regular fees to find professionals who charge reduced rates for qualified clients.

Locating a Professional

There are two ways to find a professional through our service -- by browsing the online directory on this website, or by phoning our call centre.

When a user first visits the JusticeNet website, he or she is asked to select a profession between lawyers, mediators and paralegals. This selection is remembered and subsequent website pages are then tailored to that particular profession.

To find a professional online, visitors search according to location and areas of law or type of expertise required. The Directory returns a list of participating professionals, ordered randomly for professionals who directly match the entered location, followed by others who are located close to that location. Each professional has a personal profile page with detailed information about his or her practice (including location, special services, languages spoken, etc.).

Any member of the public is welcome to browse our online directory, free of charge and without site registration.

People without access to the Internet can telephone our hotline at 1-866-919-3219.  A call centre agent will first attempt to determine which profession best matches the caller's stated issue, and then proceed to provide a short list of professionals within that profession, based on area of practice and matching location. Please note that call centre agents do not have legal or professional training themselves and cannot provide legal advice.

Working with a Professional

Once a professional has been selected, the client contacts him or her and they make a mutual decision on whether to go ahead, depending on the circumstances of each individual case.

Professional listed on JusticeNet offer their expertise on a reduced fee basis as a public service, in recognition of the fact that traditional fees make it very difficult for many “average” people to get help.

Since participating professionals usually run a regular practice in addition to the time they devote to this service, and since case commitments may change on short notice, it is at each professional’s discretion whether to accept a JusticeNet case (even if their status is marked "Available" on the Directory).

Please note that once a case has been concluded, a professional's acceptance of future cases with the same client is not required to be under the same terms and conditions.