The Law Foundation of Ontario is required by law to pay 75% of net income earned from lawyer and paralegal mixed trust accounts directly to Legal Aid Ontario. The net income is calculated by deducting operating expenses. Legal Aid Ontario decides how it will use this funding.

The amount that the Foundation transfers to Legal Aid Ontario varies each year, mostly due to changing interest rates. See our annual reports for details.

Legal Aid Ontario was created in 1998 under the Legal Aid Services Act. Its mandate is to ensure that a range of legal services is available to low-income people who meet financial eligibility requirements. Some clients obtain legal aid certificates entitling them to the services of a lawyer. Others may be eligible for services from the independent community legal clinics that Legal Aid Ontario funds.