Ottawa Mens Centre
Family law – Father's | Men's Divorce Support Group – Ottawa
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Legal Aid - Without Prejudice
Legal Aid Ontario
Legal Aid Ontario is a Government Funded but Private Corporation that has NO accountability and enforces Ontario's Gender Superiority Program.
That means, if you are a father, LAO (Legal Aid Ontario) are almost certain to discriminate against you, deny you legal aid and or cancel any certificate it has issued.
There is a growing trend by mother's to deliberately involve the Children's Aid Society who are at high probability of advocating for the mother regardless of the facts.
You only need to take a look at their "pink pages" to gain an idea of how they see their corporate role as one of advocates for women, regardless of the facts that they are not interested in. Gender plays a large role in the unaccountable decisions of Legal Aid Ontario.
Applying for Legal Aid.
The first step is to call their 1-800-668 8258 and make an application over the phone. Make sure you have any and all documents that you might need at your disposal. The people on the telephone are private contractors who work from their own homes and simply enter the information into the computer. Most of them are very nice people. It's the system that's rotten not necessarily those who answer the telephone.
Duty Counsel Assistance
Legal Aid Ontario pay lawyers on the number of people they talk to as "Duty Counsel" and not the time. The more they talk to the more they get paid and it can run $300 a hour in effective billing which is three times what they would get if they were paid by the hour.
Duty Counsel generally don't want to talk to males. They will use any excuse to get rid of you and the classic excuse is financial while a mother, who does not qualify financially will generally get help from the Duty Counsel.
There there is the Conflict Scam. In smaller cities, that duty counsel might just be the lawyer you need to retain privately but you will not be able to IF you speak to that lawyer at the courhouse.
You need to do your research BEFORE you talk to that Court Duty Counsel.
If you matter is in Superior Court, Duty Counsel are even more strict on the Gender issue. Being male is almost guaranteed of getting you told not to talk to duty counsel.
Drunks and Delinquents
Most full time lawyers are working for Legal Aid on a salary because they can't make it on their own or cannot be hired by any local law firm. It's not uncommon to recognize the classic symptoms of someone hung over or unable to grasp simple facts.
Don't expect quality from a legal aid lawyer. They pay them very little and with rare exceptions, you get what you pay for especially if you are a male. Females however can and do end up with high quality legal help, in unlimited amounts that can be increased easily by legal aid, based on gender. Conversely, if you are male, your legal aid allotment of legal aid time for a task is pre-determined and gender is used to determine if the lawyer can ask for me.
Simply, if you are male, the lawyer will have a far more difficult time to the point that he or she will refuse to go to the effort because the results are often predetermined based on gender.
Before you apply for legal aid on a Family or Child Protection Matter, make sure you are using a recommended lawyer and seek their advice on making the Legal Aid Application.
If you finally get a lawyer, if you a male, expect that lawyer to work to assist the mother and not you. Make sure you have the resources of an alternative legal opinion so you can proceed from a basis of knowledge and not just what the legal aid lawyer tells you which may or may not be correct. But if you are paying nothing, the value of that work might just be what you are paying or even worse, less.
Declined Legal Aid in Ontario?
If you are male, expect this as a normal process.
First you need the help of a lawyer. Do not try to do this by yourself. Make sure you have a lawyer who will Write the Letter to the Legal Aid Area Committee who generally do not change their mind, unless its written by a lawyer.
IF the Area committee turn you down, then its a letter off to the Provincial Appeals Office who are virtually guaranteed of turning you down unless of course, its written by a lawyer who makes calls behind the scenes. Again, gender plays a large role.
The next level of appeal is what is called a request for reconsideration and the odds of success again is entirely remote, its a formality. But, again, if you have NOT had a lawyer so far, you now, desperately need a lawyer to write that letter.
There are more alternatives in the form of getting your local member of parliament involved but, most do not and will not get involved. If you are a woman of course, the local politician is more likely to get involved.
Criminal Matters
Things change significantly if you are charged with a Criminal Offence. Generally, if you qualify financially then a certificate is generally issued on your first contact with the Court.
At least 50% of all fathers involved in Family Court Proceedings are charged with a criminal offence on the basis of the mother's complaint or complaints or direction made by Feminist Organizations in the community.
Employment -
Expect those associated with the mother to do their best to prevent or end your legal aid. It's very common for Feminist lawyers to pick up the phone and directly or indirectly end your legal aid and or end your employment to make sure you can't pay for a lawyer.
Again, if you suspect that your domestic situation is heading for litigation, it is vitally important that you empower yourself and develop the proper mental attitude for winning the battle that is probably going to occur.
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