Allen Paralegal Services
Legal Services for Ottawa and Eastern Ontario
Legal Services & Info
In Ontario, paralegals do not "practice law". That is what a lawyer is defined as doing. Rather, licensed paralegals "provide legal services".
In some circumstances, a paralegal can provide people or businesses with an easier access to justice than a lawyer can. For example, if you need to sue someone in Small Claims Court and wish to use a legal representative to do so, it may not make financial sense to use a lawyer. Generally, a paralegal's services are at a lower cost than that of a lawyer. So, rather than not bother suing in Small Claims Court, it may be well worth your time to speak to a qualified and licensed paralegal.
On our "About Us" page, there's a short listing of some of the things a paralegal can't do. So, just what can a paralegal do for you?
A Paralegal's Scope of Practice
In Ontario, paralegals are regulated, just as lawyers are. Like all other paralegal firms in Ontario, Allen Paralegal Services, which provides paralegal services in Ottawa, Ontario, must abide by these regulations.
The Government of Ontario many years ago decided to make the profession of Law self-regulating. To that end, the Province enacted the Law Society Act, giving the Law Society of Upper Canada the authority to regulate the legal industry. If you're curious, you can read the Law Society Act by clicking here.
Along with helping individuals, Allen Paralegal Services can aid landlords, businesses, not-for-profit organizations, associations, etc. in the Ottawa area In short, we can help anyone requiring legal services.
To provide legal services to the public, (a paralegal), or to practice law, (a lawyer), one must be a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC). The LSUC has By-Laws which govern all members. One By-Law in particular, By-Law 4, clearly states what a paralegal's scope of practice is:
Advise: A paralegal can give a party advice on his, her or its legal interests, rights or responsibilities with respect to a proceeding or the subject matter of a proceeding.
Where a paralegal can represent you:
- Small Claims Court: If your case is something that can be dealt with in the Small Claims Court, Allen Paralegal Services can represent you. (Click here to go to our Home Page for more information on how we can work for you in Small Claims Court.)
- Provincial Offences: If your case is to be dealt with at the Ontario Court of Justice under the Provincial Offences Act, we can represent you there.
- Criminal Code: If you are to appear before a summary conviction court to deal with a proceeding under the Criminal Code of Canada, a paralegal can be your representative. This is not a service we offer at this time.
- Tribunals: If you, for example, are a Landlord or a Tenant, Allen Paralegal Services can represent you at the Ontario Landlord & Tenant Board. There are many other tribunals, including the Social Benefits Tribunal, the Assessment Review Board, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal, and the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, to name just a few.
- Claims: If, for example, you have a claim under the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule, a paralegal can represent you before the person dealing with the claim.
What else Allen Paralegal Services can do for you:
To effectively deliver paralegal services to a client, a paralegal must have the knowledge to carry out a number of other functions, aside from advising and/or representing a client. Again, from the Law Society's By-Law 4, here are some of the paralegal services Allen Paralegal Services is licensed by the LSUC to provide:
- Document Management: As part of providing a paralegal service, we can select, draft, complete, or revise a document which you would need to use in a proceeding. We can also do the same for a document that affects your legal interests, rights or responsibilities with respect to a proceeding. As well, we would serve or file the correct documents with the appropriate person(s), at the appropriate time, and in the appropriate way. This is simply part of the service we provide at Allen Paralegal Services.
- Discovery: If required in your proceeding, we can conduct an examination for discovery.
- Negotiation: As a paralegal firm, we can negotiate your legal interests, rights, or responsibilities respecting a proceeding, or on the subject matter of a proceeding. This would be done with your consent, and can sometimes lead to settling a matter before it proceeds to a trial.
For a more detailed explanation of what Allen Paralegal Services can do for you please go to our "Home" page. There, you will find more detailed information about Small Claims Court, the Landlord & Tenant Board, Affidavits, etc.
Don't hesitate to contact us; there are no trivial
matters when your legal rights may be affected.
You can reach us by phone at 613-296-3285, or fax at 613-731-5241, you can e-mail us at info@allenparalegalservices.com , or you can go to our "Contact Us" page and fill in the convenient form located there and e-mail it to us.
Allen Paralegal Services