Frequently Asked Questions

Users can then browse JusticeNet's online directory and locate a professional in the field they require who is in their area. As each professional will only take a limited number of clients you may need to call more than one professional listed in the directory to make an appointment.

Reduced fees depend on your personal net income — your own yearly income after income tax — and your family household size, including you. The published schedule covers income under $70,000 for a family household of one or two, and up to $90,000 for a family household of three or more. Do not add your partner's income or a cash value for ordinary help with rent, groceries or other living costs. Your legal matter must be in Ontario, although you can live elsewhere. You do not need a Legal Aid application or refusal to register, and qualifying for Legal Aid does not stop you using JusticeNet. If Legal Aid can help with your particular matter, it is worth using it first.

We make every effort to keep the information contained in this website current. To do so, we rely on the listed professionals to regularly provide us with correct and up-to-date information. Therefore, we suggest that you get in touch with your chosen professional directly to confirm any necessary details found on this site (for example, practice opening hours).

Your JusticeNet membership number is issued when your registration is complete. You will find it on your account page, under My membership number, and in your welcome email.

Give this number to a participating professional when you contact them, and present it whenever a professional asks for it. Reduced fees under the JusticeNet program are available only to registered clients, and your number is how a professional confirms that you are one. A professional who has not been given your number cannot apply the JusticeNet rate.

Your number also lets the professional see what you told us when you registered — your name, your address, your income declaration, your family household size and the problem you described — so that they can apply the reduced-fee schedule to your circumstances and decide whether they can take your case. If you registered under the former family-income rules, update your personal income in your account before relying on a personalized rate. JusticeNet does not verify what you declare. Your registration details are only shown to the participating professionals you have given your membership number to.

Generally, a participating lawyer will request information about your personal net income from all sources before considering your case on a reduced fee basis. Please note that participating lawyers may further request information about your owned assets, and may refuse to accept your case for any reason.

Participating lawyers will also ask for your JusticeNet membership number, which confirms that you are a registered client. Please have it ready when you call; it is on your account page and in your welcome email.

No. JusticeNet simply provides a venue for lawyers to accept a portion of cases on a reduced-fee basis. Participating lawyers are expected to treat JusticeNet clients with the same standard of care as any other clients, but we are not in any way involved in the business relationship between yourself and any lawyer you choose to hire. For more information, please see our "Terms & Conditions" Page. You are encouraged to make every effort to inform yourself fully before hiring someone. Ask questions. Be clear about what it is that you want so the lawyer involved can indicate whether he or she is or isn’t able to accomplish your goal. Seek references if you so desire. Last but not least, put the details of the agreement (including time frame and pricing, fixed or estimated) in writing whenever possible.

A mediator is an impartial third party who facilitates communication between two or more parties in dispute. The mediator does not take sides or make decisions for the parties. The mediator helps to create a safe environment where the parties can discuss issues in an open and respectful manner. The mediator helps the parties to explore and understand the issues in dispute, develop alternatives, make informed decisions and work toward reaching a practical and mutually-satisfying agreement.

Mediation is a non-adversarial process where a trained and impartial third-person -- the mediator -- helps the parties to come to a mutually acceptable agreement. The mediator facilitates communication, promotes understanding and assists the parties to identify their needs and interests. The mediator uses problem solving techniques to help the parties to tailor their own agreement. Mediation is a positive, cost-effective alternative to solving disputes in court. The process is private and confidential.

Almost every dispute can be mediated, including those civil disputes involving contracts, leases, small business ownership, employment, and others. Likewise family disputes are very good candidates for mediation. Disputes appropriate for mediation may involve a single difficult issue, multiple issues, a long-standing conflict, or a conflict that cannot be avoided because of continuing contacts between or among the parties.

The general rule in mediation is that everything said at the mediation is confidential to the parties (unless specifically agreed otherwise). Discussions during mediation cannot be given as evidence at trial.

Nothing is binding upon any party until an agreed settlement is reached. Once a settlement has been drawn up and signed it becomes an enforceable contract between the parties. It is therefore in the interest of each party to have the agreement reviewed by a lawyer before accepting it. The mediation process is "without prejudice", so that on occasions where a settlement is not reached, litigation may continue without the fear that anything which may have been said during the mediation could be used by the other party in court.

In Mediation the parties make their own decisions. The mediator’s role is not to act as a judge, an advocate, to give legal advice or to protect any party’s interests. It is therefore advisable for each party to retain a lawyer for legal advice. At the end of the mediation process, the mediator normally provides a summary of the agreement to be reviewed by the parties. It is recommended that the agreement be reviewed by a lawyer before being accepted and finalized. A lawyer can also have the agreement incorporated into a court order or a legally binding agreement, should it be beneficial.

While some accredited mediators are also lawyers, many are not. The role of a mediator is very different from that of a lawyer. The mediator functions as a neutral who facilitates an agreement between the parties. By law, a lawyer may represent only one party to a dispute.

The time can vary widely depending on a number of factors, such as the type of matter being mediated, the commitment and flexibility of the parties, and the complexity of the issues involved.