The 519 Legal Advice Clinic for 2SLGBTQ+ communities offers one-time free legal advice consultations by a roster of pro-bono volunteer lawyers. Consultations are by phone or video conferencing in the following areas of law:

• Criminal Law – Advice about being charged with a criminal offence, are a victim of a crime, or a witness to a crime. Advice about criminal records and interactions with the police. If charged with an offence, on the intake form, please tell us if you have a scheduled court date, which courthouse you are at, and whether you have any disclosure provided to you.
• Employment Law – Advice specific to Ontario employment law including issues related to employment standards, wrongful dismissal, workplace discrimination, employment insurance (EI), human rights and discrimination, and health and safety in the workplace. On the intake form, please identify your employer and if you are a unionized employee.
• Family Law – Advice about separation and divorce, common-law and cohabitation agreements, adoption, child custody, parental recognition. On the intake form, please include the name of other relevant family members related to the legal issues.
• Gender Affirming Care – Advice about legal issues surrounding gender affirming care – can include legal information and education about an appeals process, advocacy, reform to existing restrictions, and navigational support needs related to gender affirming health services navigation.
• Housing Law – Advice about lease agreements, eviction notices, discrimination in pre and during tenancy, landlord-tenant issues, dealing with the Landlord and Tenant Board. Please note we do not provide advice to landlords.  If you are a tenant being evicted by your landlord, we highly recommend that you contact your local community legal clinic as soon as possible, as they may be able to represent you. You can search and find your local legal clinic using the following link: Legal Clinics – Legal Aid Ontario
• Human Rights Law: Legal advice for folks who believe they have experienced discrimination based on their sexuality, gender identity or gender expression while navigating housing, healthcare, employment, or other services.
• Immigration and Refugee Law – Advice on immigration and refugee law matters, with a focus on sexual orientation and gender identity. Advice on temporary residence application, visa extensions, post-secondary student matters, decision appeals, H&C claims, permanent residence, and citizenship. Note, if you are seeking to make a refugee claim and want to inform yourself about the process, or need a support letter, please contact our settlement team: New to Canada (the519.org).
• Wills & Estates – Advice on wills, power of attorney, probate and estate administration and executors. We are unable to provide drafting services currently.

General Advice

• Income Security (OW, ODSP, CPP)
• Health Law
• Civil Litigation

What to expect

• When completing the intake form, please submit documents related to the legal issue you are seeking advice on. The lawyers may have time to review the documents before the appointment, but this cannot be guaranteed, especially if there are several documents.
• Your scheduled appointment will be cancelled if you do not confirm the appointment time slot.
• Consultations are generally 30 minutes long.
• The lawyer or The 519 support staff may provide you with follow-up information, resources and referrals.
• Please be mindful that our legal advice clinic does not provide ongoing client relations or legal representation and we are not able to guarantee urgent/emergency consultations.

Intake and Booking

• Fill in the form linked here and provide a detailed summary of your legal issue
• If you require assistance filling in the form, then you can leave a voicemail at (416) 392-6874 ext. 4039, email us at LegalClinic@The519.org, or book a call with us for help. (Please note that the phone call booking is for a Staff member to contact you and help you fill out the form, not to speak directly with a lawyer.)
• Consultations will be scheduled between 6 – 8 pm Monday to Thursday. A staff member will contact you to confirm your appointment.

Offered as part of the Access to Justice and Legal Initiatives Department.