The 519’s Access to Justice and Legal Initiatives programs support underserved 2SLGBTQ+ communities to reduce barriers to accessing relevant legal services and educational resources.

2SLGBTQ+ communities experience many barriers to accessing justice systems, including lack of queer- and trans-competent services and experiences of homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and other forms of discrimination.

With funding support from The Law Foundation of Ontario, The 519 is continuing to advance and expand our legal programming – through partnership development, legal clinic expansion, capacity-building initiatives, and resource development.

Free virtual and over-the-phone programs and services offered:

• The 519 Legal Clinic: Free general summary advice on a full range of legal issues.
• Trans ID Clinic: For 2 Spirit, trans and non-binary folks in Ontario experiencing poverty or homelessness. Free legal assistance via video calls for ID applications, name changes, gender marker changes, and other related needs.
• Criminal Law Legal Clinic: Consultation includes but is not limited to support for individuals who have been charged with a crime or are victims of a crime.
• Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic for LGBTQ+ Individuals: General summary advice for LGBTQ+ refugees and newcomers around refugee-related matters and asylum claims with a focus on sexual orientation and gender identity.
• Housing Law Legal Clinic
• Notary Clinic
• Mock Hearing Program for LGBTQ+ Refugee Claimants: Prepare and practice for your IRB hearing with a free session similar to the actual process.
  • Private Group Webinar – Mock Hearing for LGBTQ+ Refugee Claimants: Learn how the refugee hearing process works, and observe a simulated IRB hearing in a private, confidential virtual set-up.
• Employment Law Legal Clinic
• Family Law Clinic
• Wills & Estates Legal Clinic
• Public Legal Education Workshops: Accessible legal workshops for community members on a range of pertinent legal issues including, but not limited to, rights and responsibilities while (counter) protesting, tenant rights, youth justice rights, rights while interacting with police services, and sex worker rights.

Specialty Clinics:

• Document Translation Clinic: Free one-day clinics for translation of your documents including, but not limited to, official government documents, transcripts, medical records, etc. Held in partnership with MCIS Language Solutions.
• Legal Clinic for Muslims: Free general summary advice legal clinic.

About legal clinics at The 519

2SLGBTQ+ people face extraordinary barriers while approaching Canada’s justice system, and The 519 Legal Clinic responds to these challenges by empowering folks to feel safe and confident while accessing justice. The 519  Legal Clinic has been responding to that challenge by empowering folks to feel safe and confident while accessing justice.

The earliest Legal Clinic at The 519 was born in the 1980s from community leadership during the AIDS crisis. Volunteer lawyers and students started the Wills Clinic to respond to legal challenges 2SLGBTQ+ people faced while grappling with end-of-life decisions in the initial years of the epidemic. Partners, lovers, and chosen families had no legal standing or say in their loved ones’ care, were denied resources, and sometimes weren’t even allowed to be present while their loved ones passed.

Recognizing a growing demand for queer-competent legal services, our legal volunteers soon began fielding matters related to housing, employment, criminal, immigration, civil and human rights issues as well. Years later in 2019, The 519 recognized the need to broaden our legal services in response to the current socio-political climate and its impact on the most marginalized folks. Through funding support and inputs from our volunteers and community leaders, we expanded our access to justice initiatives.

Today, The 519 Legal Clinic is supported by 50+ lawyers providing pro bono support. We offer specialty clinics focussing on law related to family, criminal, employment, immigration, housing, and of course, wills and estates. We host the Trans ID Clinic, Notary Clinic, and a Mock Hearing Program to help LGBTQ+ refugee claimants.

The 519 Legal Clinic has and will continue to support meaningful access to justice for 2SLGBTQ+ communities and ensure that nobody is left behind. We are truly grateful for the support of our volunteer lawyers, students, staff, as well as our funders.