Since I began practicing law 15 years ago I have been accepting Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) Certificates for many criminal and family cases. A topic I wanted to discuss is that there is a misconception that a lawyer who accepts legal aid will not work as hard for a client in comparison to a paying client. This is true for some lawyers (who I happen to know). But like anything else in life, there is the good and the bad in every organization. For the most part, most of the lawyers I know who accept legal aid certificates for criminal matters or family matters such as custody or child protection cases, do a phenomenal job representing their clients on a legal aid certificates. Once a lawyer accepts a client fully (I’m not talking about limited retainer situations), the lawyer generally has a duty to stick with the client to the very end of their matter (not including an appeal if necessary). Assuming no conflicts arise along the way, the lawyer is bound by the rules of professional responsibility to represent the client to the best of the lawyer’s abilities within the boundaries of the law. Whether the lawyer made a retainer for $1.00 or $10,000.00, or on a Legal Aid Certification the quality of the representation must be the same. A lawyer who acknowledges a legal aid certificate from a client, therefore, must give the client and case his all – one hundred percent. If you are charged with a criminal offence in Brampton or going through a child welfare and children’s aid society case and have been approved for legal aid, then give Avi Baratz a call at 905-789-9007 to schedule a free confidential consultation. Avi Baratz is a lawyer who accepts Legal Aid Certificates for criminal cases and Child protection, CAS and custody cases in Brampton and elsewhere in the Greater Toronto area.