Archived - Legal Aid Survey

Archived information

Archived information is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please contact us to request a format other than those available.

Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics

Purpose of the Legal Aid Survey

The purpose of the Legal Aid Survey is to provide national information of relevance to issues faced by government policy-makers, legal aid administrators, and the public. The survey scope encompasses data relating to services provided by or funded in whole or in part by the Legal Aid Plan.  While participation in this survey is voluntary, your co-operation is important to ensure that the information collected in this survey is as accurate and as comprehensive as possible.

General Instructions

  1. Please complete and return by:
  2. Please refer to the Scoring Guide for survey definitions and instructions regarding what to measure and how to record it.  If there are deviations from the survey definitions, please note these in the comment section provided for each question.  As well, please indicate in the comment section, any changes in legal aid service delivery in your jurisdiction that may have affected this year's data.
  3. Please provide a figure in all boxes.  If there is no amount for a particular box, enter one of the following:
    0 - when the amount is zero;
    X - when the figure is not available in your jurisdiction (for example, a breakdown of total applications by criminal and civil matters, although relevant, is not available from jurisdictional data sources);
    N - when the figure is not applicable in your jurisdiction (for example, the number of private lawyers when the Legal Aid Plan is exclusively Judicare).
  4. All dollar figures are to be reported in thousands of dollars.
  5. Please fax the completed paper version of the form to:
    Legal Aid Survey
    Courts Program
    Fax (613) 951-6615

Section 1: Revenues, Expenditures and Personnel

Question 1
How much revenue did the Legal Aid Plan receive from each of the following sources during the fiscal year (in thousands of dollars)?

Revenues from each of the following:

  • Government contributions
  • Interest from lawyer's trust accounts
  • Contributions of the legal profession
  • Client contributions and cost recoveries
  • Other (please specify type and amount of revenue)
  • Total revenues

Are revenues reported as:

  • Cash-Based or
  • Accrual-Based

Comments/Deviations from scoring rules (please specify).

Question 2
What were the Legal Aid Plan's direct legal services expenditures during the fiscal year (in thousands of dollars)? (For each of the following categories: Staff, Private Law Firms, Total)

Direct Legal Services Expenditures

  • Federal Criminal Matters (For each of the following categories: Adult, Youth, Sub-Total (Federal) (A))
  • Provincial/Territorial Offences (B)
  • Civil Matters (For each of the following categories: Family, Other, Sub-Total (Civil) (C))
  • Total Direct Legal Services Expenditures (A)+(B)+(C)

Comments/Deviations from scoring rules (please specify).

Question 3
What were the Legal Aid Plan's expenditures for each of the following categories during the fiscal year (in thousands of dollars)?

Expenditures

  • Direct legal services expenditures (see Total from question 2)
  • Other program expenditures (includes external project expenditures, legal research activities, public legal education and grants to other agencies)
  • Central administrative expenditures
  • Other expenditures (please specify type and amount of expenditure)
  • Total expenditures

Are expenditures reported as:

  • Cash-Based or
  • Accrual-Based

Comments/Deviations from scoring rules (please specify).

Question 4
What were the personnel resources of the Legal Aid Plan as of March 31? (For each of the following categories: Direct Legal Service Staff, Other Staff, Total Staff) This refers to the number of full-time and part-time staff employed by the Legal Aid Plan on March 31.

Personnel Resources

  • Lawyers (include notaries) (For each of the following categories: Full-Time, Part-Time, Total)
  • Non-Lawyers (include paralegals) (For each of the following categories: Full-Time, Part-Time, Total)

Comments/Deviations from scoring rules (please specify).

Question 5
In the fiscal year, how many active members of the private bar were involved in the provision of legal aid services on behalf of the Legal Aid Plan? (include notaries)

Comments/Deviations from scoring rules (please specify).

Section 2: Caseload Characteristics

Question 6
How many applications for legal aid were received during the fiscal year? Application refers to a formal request evidenced in writing. Do not include requests for duty counsel services, inquiries made at the "front desk" of the legal aid office, or telephone inquiries.

Number of Applications Received

  • Federal Criminal Matters (For each of the following categories: Adult, Youth, Sub-Total (Federal) (A))
  • Provincial/Territorial Offences (B)
  • Civil Matters (For each of the following categories: Family, Other, Sub-Total (Civil) (C))
  • Total Applications (A)+(B)+(C)

Comments/Deviations from scoring rules (please specify).

Question 7
How many applications for legal aid were refused during the fiscal year and for what reasons? (For each of the following categories: Financial Ineligibility, Coverage Restrictions, Lack of Merit, Non-Compliance/Abuse, Other, Total) Include applications for which no services were approved, as well as those applications denied for full service that subsequently received summary service.  If an application involves two reasons for refusal, choose the more important of the two and count it as the major reason.

Number of Applications Refused

  • Federal Criminal Matters
  • Provincial/Territorial Offences
  • Civil Matters (Family)
  • Civil Matters (Other)
  • Sub-Total Civil
  • Total Refused Applications

Comments/Deviations from scoring rules (please specify).

Question 8
How many full service applications for legal aid were approved and assigned to STAFF LAWYERS during the fiscal year for each of the following categories? Exclude all summary services (including written legal opinions) and duty counsel services.

Number of Applications Approved

  • Federal Criminal Matters (For each of the following categories: Adult, Youth, Sub-Total (Federal) (A))
  • Provincial/Territorial Offences (B)
  • Civil Matters (For each of the following categories: Family, Other, Sub-Total (Civil) (C))
  • Total Approved Full Service Applications (A)+(B)+(C)

Comments/Deviations from scoring rules (please specify).

Question 9
How many full service applications for legal aid were approved and assigned to PRIVATE LAWYERS during the fiscal year for each of the following categories? Exclude all summary services (including written legal opinions) and duty counsel services.

Number of Applications Approved

  • Federal Criminal Matters (For each of the following categories: Adult, Youth, Sub-Total (Federal) (A))
  • Provincial/Territorial Offences (B)
  • Civil Matters (For each of the following categories: Family, Other, Sub-Total (Civil) (C))
  • Total Approved Full Service Applications (A)+(B)+(C)

Comments/Deviations from scoring rules (please specify).

Question 10
How many applications for legal aid were approved for summary service during the fiscal year? Exclude applications that requested extensive legal assistance (full service) but received summary service upon refusal, and applications originally approved for full service but subsequently rendered summary services.

Number of Applications Approved

Comments/Deviations from scoring rules (please specify).

Question 11
How many times were duty counsel services provided to clients during the fiscal year for each of the following categories? Count the number of units of service provided not the number of persons assisted.

Number of Units of Service

  • Federal Criminal Matters (For each of the following categories: Adult, Youth, Sub-Total (Federal) (A))
  • Civil Matters (For each of the following categories: Family, Other, Sub-Total (Civil) (B))
  • Total Duty Counsel Services (A)+(B)

Comments/Deviations from scoring rules (please specify).

Question 12
In the fiscal year, how many civil dossiers were processed under the Interprovincial Reciprocity Agreement for each province and territory? (For each of the following categories: Incoming, Outgoing)

Number of Civil Dossiers

  • Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Nova Scotia
  • New Brunswick
  • Quebec
  • Ontario
  • Manitoba
  • Saskatchewan
  • Alberta
  • British Columbia
  • Yukon Territory
  • Northwest Territories
  • Nunavut
  • Outside Canada
  • Total Civil Dossiers

Comments/Deviations from scoring rules (please specify).

Question 13
In the fiscal year, how many appeals were approved for service and how many were refused? (For each of the following categories: Approved, Refused, Total Appeals) Appeal refers to an appeal of a lower court or administrative tribunal decision, not an appeal of a refused application.

Number of Appeals

  • Federal Criminal Matters
  • Civil Matters
  • Total Appeals

Comments/Deviations from scoring rules (please specify).

  • Respondent:
  • Jurisdiction:
  • Contact:
  • Phone number:
  • Date:

Thank you for your important contribution to the Legal Aid Survey

Statistics Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. S19
Confidential When Completed
STC/CCJ – 160-60104; CCJS/55452-3

Date modified: