TORONTO, ON — The Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) and the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) have announced a new partnership to connect the rising entrepreneurs behind emerging small businesses with pivotal pro bono legal support exclusively through the OBA's Pro Bono Portal, powered by Paladin.
The partnership launches as a structured pilot program designed to address a well-documented gap: in making their vision a reality and their mark in the community, many entrepreneurs require timely legal support at critical stages of their business’s development (e.g., formation, hiring, signing leases, navigating regulations) but lack the resources to obtain that help.
Under the partnership, TABIA will serve as a community intake point for businesses within Toronto’s 86 Business Improvement Areas (BIA), receiving and screening legal requests from local entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs looking to start or keep their small business on the right footing can apply at www.toronto-bia.com/LegalAccess. Lawyers can volunteer through OBA’s Pro Bono Portal (www.oba.org/probono), which uses the Paladin platform to match opportunities based on skills, practice areas, and availability.
The pilot focuses on five practical areas of business law:
- Business formation and structure
- Founder, shareholder, and partnership agreements
- Commercial lease review
- Basic employment and contractor documentation
- Licensing, permitting, and regulatory compliance guidance
"Small businesses are the backbone of our commercial districts and the heart of BIAs. Access to timely legal advice can make the difference between a business that launches and thrives and one that never gets off the ground. This partnership reflects TABIA's commitment to removing barriers for entrepreneurs and small business across Toronto’s main streets,” said John Kiru, CEO, TABIA.
“This initiative began with a simple but important idea: access to legal assistance should not be the barrier that prevents a promising small business from starting, surviving or finding its footing,” said Louis Frapporti, Chair of the OBA Pro Bono Committee. “Small businesses create jobs, animate neighbourhoods and generate the economic activity that sustains healthy communities. By connecting eligible entrepreneurs with lawyers who are prepared to contribute their time and expertise, we are supporting not only individual businesses, but the vitality and resilience of Toronto’s commercial districts.”
"Ontario lawyers care deeply about their communities. They want to contribute to the places where they live and work, and the OBA wants to make that as easy as possible for them – not just for litigators but for solicitors as well," said OBA President Katy Commisso. "This partnership gives lawyers a structured, meaningful way to do exactly that by supporting small businesses at critical moments in their development. The relationships that come from these kinds of opportunities have a way of enduring, and that's good for businesses, good for communities, and good for lawyers."
The OBA’s Pro Bono Portal connects lawyers with meaningful volunteer opportunities aligned with their practice areas, interests, and availability. Powered by the Paladin platform, the portal serves as a centralized hub for community organizations and legal professionals.
The initiative is open to Ontario-based entrepreneurs, self-employed individuals, and small business owners who are members of Toronto BIAs and who face financial barriers to obtaining paid legal services. Businesses can go to TABIA’s website to apply at www.toronto-bia.com/LegalAccess
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ABOUT THE OBA
Established in 1907, the OBA is the largest voluntary legal association in Ontario representing over 17,000 lawyers, judges, law professors and law students. A leader in legal innovation, the OBA provides continuing professional development, and advocates for lawyers, protection of the rule of law and justice sector improvements.
ABOUT TABIA
The Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) is a non-profit umbrella organization working with the 86 Business Improvement Areas within the City of Toronto, which in turn represent more than 90,000 business and property owners.
Media Contacts:
Emily Sinkins, Ontario Bar Association
John Kiru, CEO, TABIA