Recently I had my first experience volunteering with Pro Bono Ontario (PBO)’s Free Legal Advice Hotline. For those unfamiliar with the service, in response to COVID-19, PBO shifted its in-person legal services to fully remote operations with various legal services offered to low-income Ontarians. Anyone can call the Hotline, confirm they qualify, and get free legal service to address issues related to civil litigation, consumer rights, housing, small business, education, wills and estates, or employment law.
Joining the PBO team left me feeling optimistic about the future of legal services. From the perspective of a first-time volunteer, I wanted to share my experience, and a few key takeaways from a day helping folks on a legal help hotline.
Background
By way of background, PBO launched in 2001 and began offering legal services to members of the public in Ontario who cannot afford to pay for private legal assistance. After Legal Aid Ontario cancelled its civil legal certificate program in 2010, PBO became the primary public-funded legal organization Ontarians can turn to when they cannot afford a lawyer. Traditionally, PBO has offered walk-in services at multiple brick-and-mortar locations across the province. Walk-ins have accounted for as many as 13,000 cases annually for PBO. To meet surging demand, PBO developed a Remote Service Line in 2016, and its modern Hotline in 2017.
To provide an idea of the volume of matters PBO handles, PBO recently reported that annual demand for its services climbed from 11,000 cases in 2010 to close to 30,000 in 2018.
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