Ontario Report on Reforming Legal Aid

The Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario recently published the Report of the Legal Aid Review 2008.

Professor Michael Trebilcock of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law was asked last summer to undertake a review of the legal aid system in the province.

According to the summary:

"The terms of reference required Professor Trebilcock to conduct a review of legal aid in Ontario since 1999, including a consideration of the Legal Aid Services Act, 1998 and regulations, focusing on the tools and capacities to maximize effective administration and good governance of the legal aid system, and examining alternatives to the current tariff process, including methods of ensuring regular reviews to set and adjust the hourly rate paid to lawyers doing legal aid work. He was specifically mandated to work with Legal Aid Ontario, to consider best practices in other jurisdictions, to take into account the historical context of legal aid in Ontario, and to hold such consultations as he considered appropriate."