Content updated on September 5, 2025.
The indexation of legal aid eligibility thresholds has broadened access to it. Free access is also available to all children.
What is legal aid?
Québec’s legal aid system allows eligible people to access justice so they can assert their rights. The services (either free or low-cost) are dispensed by attorneys or, less often, by notaries. The attorneys and notaries are mandated to advise their clients or to represent them in court, to, among other things:
- Contest a decision concerning benefits (automobile insurance, work-related accident, employment insurance, etc.);
- Contest an unreasonable rent hike;
- Request child support or custody;
- Defend the rights of children for whom an intervention by the Directeur de la protection de la jeunesse (DPJ) occurred;
- File for divorce;
- Defend someone accused of a crime;
- Request a tutorship for an incapacitated person;
- File for asylum (immigration).
Who qualifies for legal aid?
Free component
Free access to legal aid services is offered to:
- All children, regardless of their financial situation;
- Anyone who is arrested or being detained (24 hours/24);
- Last-resort assistance recipients;
- Adults with a low income.
As a general rule, a single person will be eligible for free services if their maximum annual income corresponds to 52 weeks of work at minimum wage, for 35 hours per week. The maximum income varies depending on family situation. Eligibility thresholds are adjusted every time the minimum wage changes.
To find out if your income qualifies you for free legal aid, visit the Commission des services juridiques (CSJ) website. Please note that other conditions apply.
The Rebâtir program offers 4 hours of free legal counsel for victims of sexual or domestic violence, regardless of their income.
Contributory component
There is a contributory component for people whose income is slightly higher. They can receive legal services by paying $100 to $800 out of pocket. Think you might be eligible? Visit the CSJ website for more details on eligible incomes.
For both components of the legal aid system, the value of your assets, investments and property may be factored in. To see whether you qualify, use the online tool for that purpose.
Questions or problems?
To find out more, see the website of the CSJ, the body that manages Québec’s legal aid system.
Have you been refused legal aid, or has it been taken from you, for no good reason, or so it seems? You have 30 days to apply to CSJ for a review.
Are you dissatisfied with legal aid or CSJ services? You can contact the legal aid office, the legal community centre concerned, or CSJ directly.
The Protecteur du citoyen handles complaints concerning Québec government departments and agencies, including the Ministère de la Justice. However, it does not have jurisdiction regarding the Commission des services juridiques (CSJ).
