How To File A Lawsuit On A Budget
Whether you’re fighting a criminal, corporate, or civil litigation case, it’s essential to get adequate legal representation from a professional. However, depending on the case, lawyers are considered expensive, which puts individuals in a challenging situation, especially if they don’t have a lot of money. If you’re planning on filing a lawsuit on a budget, here are a few helpful tips from the experts at JSM Law.
Access to justice
1. The Law Society of Ontario is committed to advancing the “access to justice” principle in our legal system. The Rules of Civil Procedure state that lawyers may only charge or accept an amount for a fair fee or disbursement that is reasonable and disclosed to the client in a timely fashion.
2. Access to justice is fundamental in the Canadian justice system and flows from the Rule of Law. It’s based on the idea that all people should have access to knowledge concerning their legal matters and access to legal representation.
3. In practice, it includes funding for legal aid and options, including contingency fees and limited-scope retainers. All of these are potential avenues to file a lawsuit while on a budget.
Read on to learn about these options in more detail:
Legal Aid
a. Legal Aid Ontario helps pay for a lawyer to represent individuals who qualify financially and have a legal issue that they cover. Some examples of areas that legal aid covers include; criminal issues, family law matters, refugee and immigration matters, domestic violence, and mental health legal issues.
b. Legal Aid Ontario may ask you to pay for some of their fees, but if you qualify, this is a great, low-cost avenue to protect your legal interests.
c. For more information on this option, call the toll-free number 1-800-668-8258 or visit www.legalaid.on.ca.
Contingency Fees
a. A contingency fee arrangement works whereby a lawyer is paid for their work by taking a previously agreed percentage of their client’s settlement or judgment. The main benefit is that the lawyer doesn’t get paid unless the client is compensated for their claim.
b. It’s a cost-effective way to retain legal representation when you do not have a high disposable income or are unsure about the outcome of a legal matter. There is no upfront cost to begin pursuing your legal matter.
c. There are legal matters where contingency fees are not permitted, including; criminal or family law matters.
Limited Scope Retainers
a. A limited scope retainer is an agreement with the client where the legal representative agrees to provide services for part, but not all, of the client’s matter.
b. Limited scope retainers are beneficial as they increase access to justice for clients who would otherwise be unable to retain representation. It also enables lawyers to serve a broader range of clients.
c. The limited scope retainer must be carefully drafted to outline the lawyer’s services. It should include what the lawyer will and won’t be performing for their client. The lawyer must also determine if the requested services are unreasonable or inappropriate for the client’s legal matter.
Are you interested in learning more?
For more incredible tips on how to file a lawsuit on a budget, reach out to JSM Law. We are an experienced law firm in Mississauga, Ontario, specializing in providing affordable legal services.
Our talented employees are always happy to help and increase access to justice. Our areas of expertise include personal injury, real estate, wills and estates, civil litigation, corporate law, and criminal law. We serve clients across Brampton, Oakville, Hamilton, Milton, Burlington, North York, Caledon, Vaughan, Markham, Scarborough, Downtown Toronto, Richmond Hill, New Market, King, Halton Hills, and the Greater Toronto Area.
For a complete list of our services, please click here. If you have any questions about legal matters, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch with us at 905-499-9896 or contact us here for more information.