Lawyers and paralegals must report annually on each mixed trust account held at any time during the licensee’s reporting year in their Lawyer Annual Report or the Paralegal Annual Report filing through the Law Society of Ontario Portal.

When opening a mixed trust account, lawyers and paralegals must direct their financial institution to pay the interest to The Law Foundation of Ontario. This could be in the form of a Letter of Direction. (Here is an example of a Letter of Direction in PDF format.) A copy of the letter sent to the financial institution should be kept by the licensee and should also be sent to the Foundation.

Need help? See our Report a mixed trust account webpage or contact us via email or at 416-598-1550 x 232.

The Class Proceedings Fund provides financial support to approved class action plaintiffs for legal disbursements, enabling many class action plaintiffs to pursue their claims and ultimately improve the lives of many people. Learn more.

Courts make cy-près awards when it is not practical to distribute all proceeds of a class action to individual plaintiffs.

The Law Foundation of Ontario’s Access to Justice Fund (ATJF) is a permanent fund available to receive such awards and many courts have approved the Foundation as a fitting and accountable recipient of cy-près awards.

If you are considering directing a cy-près award to the ATJF and have questions, please contact Lisa Cirillo, Chief Executive Officer at lcirillo@lawfoundation.on.ca or 416-598-1550 x 204.

Looking for legal help or information? Here are some resources:

Legal services

211
211 is a helpline that connects people to social services, programs, and community supports.

Family Law Services Directory
Looking to hire a lawyer for a family law matter? This directory of lawyers offer limited scope or “unbundled” legal services, which are often a more affordable option of working with a lawyer.

Law Society Referral Service
This portal allows you to submit a request for free 30-minute consultation with a legal representative to help you determine your rights and options.

Legal Aid Ontario
Legal services are available for financially eligible, low-income Ontarians in the following areas: domestic violence, family law, immigration and refugee law, criminal law, and poverty law.

Ontario Legal Information Centre
The Centre provides bilingual legal information and referral service, including a free 30-minute virtual meeting with a lawyer to any person faced with a legal issue in Ontario.

Pro Bono Ontario Free Legal Advice Hotline
If you can’t afford a lawyer and need help with a civil matter (no family law or criminal law), you can call toll-free for up to 30 minutes of free legal advice and assistance.

Legal information

Legal Line
This website offers free legal answers covering 2,500 topics. It also has referrals to legal professionals, legal guides, and a low cost Online Legal Documents service where people can create their own legal documents.

Steps to Justice
This online resource provides comprehensive, step-by-step information on common legal problems.

Your Legal Rights
This online resource shares legal information resources produced by nonprofit organizations across Ontario.

The Law Foundation of Ontario is an organization that makes grants to nonprofit organizations. We do not provide legal help or advice.

The resources above are the responsibility of other organizations. When researching legal information, make sure you check that the material you are reading is applicable to your municipality, province, or country and is up-to-date.