Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) has launched an iOS app to make it easier for people to determine if they qualify for a legal aid certificate, a voucher that guarantees a private practice lawyer gets paid for their service representing you. The app enables users to self-assess their financial eligibility, while also provides real-time call centre wait times. No data is collected or stored within the app, according to LAO.
LAO Chair John McCamus said “By offering a new way for clients to self-assess, we can connect with them and determine their legal needs more quickly,” along with “We’ll also be providing a near-instantaneous response to applicants who are ineligible for certificate services, and we’ll be able to refer them to other services more quickly. We’re proud to enhance access to legal aid services through technology in this manner.”
The purpose of the app, explains LAO, is how they “are innovating the way these [expanded] services are provided to low-income Ontarians,” by bringing access to legal aid “through technology that is already a fixture in their everyday lives.”
Click here to download Legal Aid Ontario for iOS in the App Store.
