Terms & Conditions

In the following Parts A, B & C, “Clinic” means any CCM Legal Clinic employees, volunteers, advisory members, board members of CCM and other designates working under or for CCM, volunteer lawyers commissioned by CCM Legal Clinic and their staff or agents.

Part A (CCM Legal Clinic Service)

While Clinic tries to provide services free of charge to all those who need assistance, I understand and acknowledge that your services are prioritized for those who are actually in need and therefore if my income and assets do not fall under your income and assets guidelines, it is most likely that my request for services will not be entertained or accepted. In order to receive services from CCM Legal Clinic, I agree to the terms below.

1.     Relationship with Clinic - I understand and acknowledge that:

a.     I cannot receive services from Clinic in respect of the Matter if I have already hired someone to provide me with legal services in relation to the Matter.

b.     I may need to clarify or expand on any of the information provided in this application in order to receive or continue receiving services from Clinic.

c.     There are certain rigid time restrictions that must be met when commencing and pursuing legal proceedings. Therefore, if I intend to pursue legal proceedings, it is essential that I do not delay in moving the case forward with any steps that I may need to take on my own. I accept that I maintain full responsibility for the pursuit of my legal proceedings unless and until I retain someone who agrees to take that responsibility.

d.     Beyond providing the services Clinic agrees to provide to me, Clinic has no further duty to look after any of my legal interests in the Matter or any other matters.

2.     Communicating with Clinic – I acknowledge that:

a.     The information I provide to Clinic is true, complete and accurate.

3.     Clinic’s Provision of Services – I understand and acknowledge that:

a.     If a person who wishes to provide legal advice concludes that he or she has a conflict of interest in respect of the Matter, he or she cannot assist me. In this case, Clinic will try to find another volunteer lawyer to assist me. Clinic, however, cannot guarantee that it will be able to find another volunteer lawyer within a reasonable time.

b.     Multiple lawyers or volunteers may be involved in the Matter depending on the availability of the volunteers.

c.     CCM Legal Clinic is a Christian-based legal clinic and that any advice given to me by Clinic may include but is not limited to legal advice, alternative dispute resolution, faith-based spiritual advice such as prayer, counselling service and other support services. I confirm that I am willing to receive any advice other than legal advice.

4.     Authorization to Clinic - I authorize Clinic to:

a.     Access my court files.

b.     To send my name and the names of all parties I have provided or will provide in the future to any law firm for the purpose of verifying whether any person who may assist me has a conflict of interest.

c.     Obtain from anyone who previously assisted me any information that person has about the Matter.

d.     Provide to anyone who may be in a position to provide me with legal advice any document or other information about the Matter that I have provided to Clinic.

5.     Consent to Release Information

If Clinic refers the Matter to another agency or institution, I consent to the release of pertinent information necessary to the referred agency or institution in order that the third party agency or institution may be able to assist me in relation to the Matter.

6.     Confidentiality; Solicitor-Client Privilege – I understand and acknowledge that:

a.     While Clinic will not intentionally disclose any of my confidential information without my authorization, any information I provide to Clinic may be shared by Clinic for the sole purpose of assisting me with the Matter. Solicitor-client privilege will only be applied when a licensed lawyer has agreed to take on the matter up and until the Matter is closed.

b.     The only people who can give me legal advice are people who are licensed to do so, that I am not forming any lawyer-client relationship whatsoever if I don’t receive legal advice, and that I am not forming any ongoing lawyer-client relationship if I do receive legal advice unless otherwise agreed in a retainer agreement..

7.     Storage of Information - I understand and acknowledge that:

a.     Upon completion or closure of the Matter, Clinic is not obligated to keep any information pertaining to the Matter and may trash or delete the information and/or matter as Clinic decides and therefore Clinic is not obliged or has any duty to keep the information for future use. If I intend to keep any of such information or record, I have a duty to keep it myself.

b.     Any information I provide to Clinic or that is prepared by Clinic in connection with the services I receive, can be:

i.       Stored at the CCM Legal Clinic premises;

ii.     Scanned, transcribed, photocopied and/or be stored electronically;

iii.    Stored on, uploaded and backed up via the internet to, a third party server and data service, and will be stored on such a service if I provide the information through the internet;

iv.    Kept in any manner and reviewed by Clinic for reasons that include but are not limited to:

·       administrative record keeping,

·       maintaining a database of people served,

·       conducting conflict of interest searches,

·       assessing the quality of services provided,

·       gathering general statistics about CCM Legal Clinic clients,

·       evaluating services offered, or

·       managing the services I receive from Clinic.

8.     Future Contact and Relationship with Clinic - I understand and acknowledge that:

a.     Any member of Clinic who does assist me is free to act for other clients against me on other unrelated matters in the future, without notice to me.

b.     I may be contacted in the future about the services I receive from Clinic for the purpose of answering questions about the value of those services. If contacted, I may refuse to participate.

9.     Release and Waiver of Liabilities –

a.     I release Clinic and all participating law firms together with all of their respective officers, employees, volunteers and designates from any and all claims whatsoever that could have arisen from my use of CCM Legal Clinic and the advice, assistance or services I received at or through Clinic.

b.     I acknowledge and understand that any services and legal advice given by any volunteer lawyer(s) commissioned by Clinic in relation to the Matter are solely services and advice by the volunteer lawyer(s) and I will save Clinic (save and except the volunteer lawyer(s) giving advice) harmless from any negligence or wrongful act or advice given by the volunteer lawyer(s).

c.     I acknowledge that all factual information given to you will be truthful and accurate and Clinic may rely on my statements of facts and information when assisting me in relation to the Matter. If such information and/facts are incorrect, I will not hold Clinic from any responsibility arising out of relying on such information and facts. If such information and facts are untruthful and are given to you intentionally or without regard to the accuracy and truthfulness of such information and facts, Clinic may immediately cease to act for me and I agree to pay any volunteer lawyer(s) commissioned by Clinic to assist me in the Matter for the time spent on the matter and services provided in accordance with the usual rate charged by the volunteer lawyer(s).

Part B (Volunteer Lawyer Assistance)

These terms of service apply to anyone to receive advice from a volunteer lawyer commissioned by Clinic, whether the volunteer is providing advice in person or remotely. In order to receive services from volunteer lawyers commissioned by CCM Legal Clinic, I agree to the terms below.

1.   Confidentiality; Solicitor-Client Privilege - I understand and acknowledge that

a.     Clinic is an open concept environment such that any information I receive or reveal may be overheard or seen by anyone who is present. As such, any information I provide to Clinic in this environment cannot be protected by lawyer-client privilege and that if I wish to have a fully confidential consultation with a lawyer and enjoy the full benefits of that privilege, I should retain a lawyer privately.

b.     I am not forming any ongoing lawyer-client relationship when I receive services from Clinic.

2.     Provision of Services by Volunteer Lawyer – I understand and acknowledge that any volunteer lawyer I meet with:         

a.      May not be able to assist me for more than 30 minutes at a time.

b.     May not represent me in courts, tribunals, government agencies or offices.

c.      Can provide me with general information about legal processes that the Matter entails.

d.     Can help me identify legal issues.

e.      Can help me identify strengths and weaknesses in the Matter.

f.      Can only give me advice that is based on the information I provide.

g.     Can guide or help me draft court forms or other relevant documents.

h.     Can refer me to another agency or institution that may be better in providing services to me, but it is within my discretion as to whether I will agree to accept such referrals, but once I agree to do so, the obligation of Clinic will cease unless the volunteer lawyer agrees to continue to serve me.

i.       May only accept a limited retainer to assist me which means that the scope of services shall be limited to the agreed services as set out in such a retainer given to me.

j.       Cannot replicate the quantity or quality of assistance I receive from a lawyer I retain privately.

k.     Cannot commission or notarize documents for me.

l.       Cannot assist me with legal problems that are unrelated to services Clinic provides.

m.    Cannot serve or accept service of court documents for me.

n.     Cannot predict or guarantee decisions judges, courts, tribunals, government agencies or offices will make.

o.     Cannot take responsibility for the information in any court forms or documents I prepare.

Part C (Referral Services)

These terms of service apply to anyone in respect of whom Clinic has agreed to make efforts to find a lawyer, a community legal clinic or agent, or a community organization or resource to provide assistance other than through Clinic. In order to receive referral services from Clinic, I agree to the terms below.

1.     Clinic’s Role - I understand and acknowledge that:

a.      Clinic’s role in the process of facilitating these services is limited to brokering the lawyer/client relationship by conducting intake, referring cases and tracking files until they close.

b.     There is no guarantee that Clinic will be able to find someone that will assist me; and if Clinic does find someone that expresses an interest in assisting me, the details of the retainer including the scope of services to be provided and any terms of payment of legal fees and/or disbursements, are to be determined by me and that person and that person’s law firm.

c.      It may take several days or weeks to find someone who expresses an interest in assisting me.

d.     If nobody is found to assist me, I may not be given a reason,

e.      Once a referral is made to another agency or institution, I consent to the release of pertinent information necessary to the referred agency or institution in order that the third party agency or institution may be able to assist me in relation to the Matter.

f.      Clinic has no involvement in the provision of any legal services that may ultimately be provided to me.

The above terms and conditions are governed by the laws of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable in Ontario.