Waterloo Region Community Legal Services
Established 1980 · Waterloo Region
One of 105 law firms listed in Kitchener, and one of 8 handling Landlord & Tenant.
Accepts Legal Aid
Accepts Legal AidAbout Waterloo Region Community Legal Services
Waterloo Region Community Legal Services is a non-profit community legal clinic that provides free legal help to low-income residents across Waterloo Region. It's one of 76 community legal clinics in Ontario funded by Legal Aid Ontario, and it has operated since 1980. The main office sits on Frederick Street in Kitchener, and the clinic also runs services out of Langs Community Health Centre in Cambridge. Its reach covers the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge along with the townships of Wilmot, Wellesley, Woolwich, and North Dumfries.
The clinic's work centres on the everyday legal problems that low-income households run into. Staff handle tenant and housing matters, Ontario Works and ODSP appeals, Canada Pension Plan disability claims, employment and Employment Insurance, workplace sexual harassment, consumer protection, and immigration. It also provides commissioning and notarization, and it helps people with name and gender marker changes. The team is a mix of lawyers, paralegals, a social worker, a community development worker, and an Indigenous Justice Coordinator, and a volunteer board of community members governs it. Alongside individual casework, the clinic takes on public legal education and law reform, and it has represented tenants and encampment residents in cases that reached the courts.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Founded in 1980, the clinic has served Waterloo Region for more than 40 years.
- It's one of 76 community legal clinics across Ontario funded by Legal Aid Ontario.
In the community
- The clinic runs Ahwenehaode, an Indigenous justice program that offers Gladue support and warm referrals for self-identified Indigenous clients.
- It holds mobile legal clinics at community partners around the region, including MACS in Cambridge and organizations in Kitchener and the rural townships, so services reach people closer to where they live.
- The Exposure Project, one of its initiatives, gives people with lived experience of poverty and homelessness a place to share their stories.
- The clinic acts as legal representative for encampment residents in litigation with the Regional Municipality of Waterloo over the 100 Victoria Street site, a case that has run from 2023 into 2026.
Fees & payment
Legal aidLawyers
No individual lawyers listed on the firm site.
Offices 2
Langs Community Health Centre, Room N206, 1145 Concession Road, Cambridge, Ontario N3H 4L5
The neighbourhood
The main office sits on Frederick Street, one of central Kitchener's older residential and commercial streets, a short distance north of the downtown core. It's a practical spot for a clinic whose clients travel in from across the region and often rely on transit rather than a car. Because that reach stretches well beyond Kitchener, the clinic doesn't wait for everyone to come to Frederick Street. It keeps a second location at Langs Community Health Centre in Cambridge and runs mobile clinics with community partners in the rural townships of Woolwich, Wilmot, and Wellesley, so help lands closer to where people actually are.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Waterloo Region Community Legal Services charge for its services?
- No. The clinic provides free legal help to low-income residents of Waterloo Region. It may ask for a Notice of Assessment to confirm you qualify, so it's worth contacting them to check eligibility.
- What kinds of legal problems does the clinic help with?
- Tenant and housing issues, Ontario Works and ODSP appeals, CPP disability, employment and Employment Insurance, workplace sexual harassment, consumer protection, immigration, notarization and commissioning, and name and gender marker changes. It doesn't take criminal, family, estates, or personal injury matters, and it acts for tenants rather than landlords.
- I'm a tenant facing eviction. Can the clinic help?
- Yes. Housing and tenant matters are a core part of its work, and it can offer advice or full representation depending on the situation. The clinic represents tenants, not landlords.
- Do I have to live in Kitchener to use the clinic?
- No. It serves all of Waterloo Region, including Cambridge and the townships of Wilmot, Wellesley, Woolwich, and North Dumfries. There's a Cambridge location at Langs Community Health Centre and mobile clinics that run out in the rural townships.
- Can I walk in, or do I need an appointment?
- The Kitchener office takes walk-ins Tuesday to Thursday and handles phone and appointment enquiries Monday to Friday. The mobile clinics at partner sites are mostly drop-in on a first-come basis, though a few require you to register ahead.
- Does the clinic have services for Indigenous clients?
- Yes. Through Ahwenehaode, its Indigenous justice program, the clinic offers Gladue support and referrals to community services for self-identified Indigenous people.
Similar firms in Waterloo Region
The Law Office of Asima Roohi is a Kitchener-area practice offering estate planning, powers of attorney, business incorporation, immigration services (skilled, family, business, and student visas), and civil law matte…
Wills, Estates & Trusts
Business & Corporate Law
Immigration Law
Landlord & Tenant
Peter M. Miller Law is the Waterloo practice of Peter M. Miller, who focuses on real estate and mortgages. He also handles family law, wills and estates, business incorporation, landlord representation and notary work…
Real Estate Law
Family LawWills, Estates & TrustsBusiness & Corporate LawBhatia Law Office is a solo law firm in Kitchener, Ontario, run by Arun K. Bhatia, a barrister, solicitor and notary public. Real estate is its main focus, covering residential and commercial purchases, sales, mortgag…
Real Estate LawBusiness & Corporate LawWills, Estates & Trusts
Notary & Commissioner ServicesListing compiled from the firm’s public website in July 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗