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Legal Guides

Plain-language guides to hiring a lawyer and understanding your options, written for the public.

Three people in business attire smile around a wooden table in a bright office while one of them signs a document.

Data & Trends Do Lawyers Offer Free Consultations? What Firm Websites Say We read what 11,011 law firm websites say about fees. About one in five offer a free first meeting, and nearly half in personal injury. Here's what to expect.

A person in a dark suit and tie holds a printed document titled Severance Agreement.

Employment Law Severance Pay in Ontario: What a Calculator Can and Can't Tell You Ontario severance calculators add up two ESA payments and stop there. How termination pay and severance pay work, the $2.5M test, and what decides the rest.

Close-up of a man's hands as he slides a golden wedding band off of his finger, representing a divorce or separation.

Family Law How to Hire a Family Lawyer in Surrey A Surrey separation has a geography quirk: your case can run through two courts in two different cities. Where each part goes, the free help at the courthouse, and how to hire.

Woman at a home office desk comparing law firms on a laptop, with directory listings showing specialized and full-service firms.

Data & Trends Is Your Lawyer a Generalist or a Specialist? The typical firm in our directory lists three practice areas, about a quarter list just one, and only one in ten range across seven or more. How to pick the kind you need.

Injured man wearing an arm sling meets with a lawyer in a modern Ottawa office, reviewing documents with Parliament Hill visible through the window.

Personal Injury How to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in Ottawa In Ontario, injury lawyers work on a no win, no fee basis, so the real question isn't whether you can afford one, it's which to pick. Fees, the two-claim system, and deadlines.

Employment lawyer reviewing severance documents with a concerned client in a Calgary office, with the downtown skyline and Calgary Tower visible in the background.

Employment Law How to Hire an Employment Lawyer in Calgary The severance figure in your Calgary package is usually the legal minimum, not what you're actually owed. The gap worth real money, the provincial-federal fork, and how to hire.

A group of five stern looking lawyers, men and women, stare intently across a conference table.

Data & Trends Do Smaller Law Firms Have Better Google Ratings? The bigger the firm, the lower its Google rating tends to be. Solo firms average 4.55 stars; firms with 100 or more lawyers average 3.94. What that does and doesn't tell you.

Close-up of the wrists of a man being detained in handcuffs.

Criminal Defence How to Hire a Criminal Defence Lawyer in Brampton If you've been charged in Brampton, the first fight is usually bail, not the trial. Where your case is heard, the free help built into criminal court, and how to hire.

Silhouette of a family holding hands looking across the water at the Toronto skyline and CN Tower lit up at night.

Immigration How to Hire an Immigration Lawyer in Toronto Your first immigration decision in Toronto isn't which firm to call, it's lawyer or licensed consultant. Who can legally help, how to check them, and how to choose.