Neighbourhood Legal Services (London & Middlesex)

About Neighbourhood Legal Services (London & Middlesex)

NLSLM stands for Neighbourhood Legal Services (London & Middlesex), a non-profit community legal clinic funded by the government of Ontario rather than a private law firm. It first opened its doors on April 28, 1986, and in its first year it opened more than 400 files and gave advice to over 650 people. Nearly four decades later, it's grown into a team of seven lawyers, several licensed paralegals, and support workers who provide advice, referrals, and representation to low income residents of the City of London and Middlesex County.

The clinic's casework centers on Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program appeals, Canada Pension Plan disability claims, some employment matters, and landlord and tenant disputes, along with affidavit and notary services. In 1998, NLSLM earned a designation as an organization providing public services in French. The clinic doesn't stop at casework: it also runs community development programs, delivers annual legal education sessions to local agencies, and partnered with two other regional clinics in 2016 on an initiative to improve access to justice for First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities.