What happens after I submit an Intake at dal legal aid?

Thank you for submitting an intake form!

This page goes over what you can expect from your meeting/intake with a member of Dal Legal Aid’s Social Justice Team.

When will I hear from you?

We aim to contact people within 2 business days. During busy periods, it may take a little longer.

Intakes operate on a triage basis - and appointments are generally scheduled 1-2 weeks after we contact you. If we need additional information or documents before your appointment, we'll let you know. Waiting for additional documents may increase your wait time.

What can you do for me?

Depending on your situation, we can provide: legal information, legal options, summary advice letters, help preparing forms, document review, referrals to other organizations, and in select cases, legal representation.

Not every client will receive the same services. The assistance we provide depends on your legal issue, the merits of your case, your individual circumstances, and available resources.

frequently asked questions

  • Please bring all necessary documents for us to assist you:

    • leases,

    • applications filed or served,

    • notices or orders issued,

    • communications like letters, emails, etc., and

    • any other evidence you think is relevant

    You can also email this to us ahead of time at socialjustice@dallegalaid.ca

  • Before your appointment, it's helpful to:

    • Gather and organize any relevant documents, such as your lease, notices from your landlord, letters and forms you’ve received, emails, or text messages.

    • Make a list of important dates and events.

    • Think about what outcome you're hoping to achieve.

    Having this information ready helps us understand your situation more quickly.

    You can also email documents to us ahead of time at socialjustice@dallegalaid.ca

  • No. Sometimes our team determines that we cannot assist you, or you would better be helped by another organization or service, and we will contact you to let you know.

  • The issues we deal with in the drop-in clinic are:

    • Housing: Residential tenancies, public housing appeals, Peace Bonds (related to housing issues), human rights (related to housing issues), and Canada Nova Scotia Targeted Housing Benefit issues.

    • Income Security: Income Assistance (IA/ESIA), Disability Support Program (DSP/Disability), Canada Pension Plan Disability, Employment Insurance (EI), NSLA Appeals (related to financial eligibility), and human rights (related to income security).

    Dal Legal Aid also has family and criminal defence lawyers. We run regular drop-in clinics for gender marker and name changes as well as summary offence clinics. See our calendar for upcoming dates. Or apply for a Legal Aid certificate here.