Legal Aid Summit 2025
Date
Thursday, November 6, 2025 (9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.)
Add this event to your calendar (Downloads an .ICS file)
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Neha ChughChugh Law Professional Corporation -
Sara WiskingFrank A. Cameron Law Office
If you are thinking about opening your own law practice, you might wonder whether legal aid work is a good fit for you. Or maybe you want to know whether joining the Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) roster might offer mentorship opportunities to you as an established practitioner? At this inaugural Legal Aid Summit, you get valuable tips on what LAO work can offer to you, to your practice, and to your identity as a legal professional. Learn how to successfully navigate LAO's billing system, how to become duty counsel (even on a per diem basis), and why many of your colleagues regularly support their communities through their Legal Aid participation. Understand more about how your legal skills and knowledge benefit the public everyday, and how you can become part of that solution.
- Learn about LAO's Indigenous Services Department
- Understand the top ten errors made when submitting accounts
- Get perspectives on legal aid matters from the judiciary and experienced counsel
Presenters
- Neha Chugh, Chugh Law Professional Corporation
- Sara Wisking, Frank A. Cameron Law Office
- The Honourable Justice Andrew J. Brouwer, Federal Court
- The Honourable Justice Sheilagh O'Connell, Senior Advisory Family Justice, Ontario Court of Justice
- The Honourable Justice Mara Greene, Ontario Court of Justice
- Tisha Hasan, Cheadles LLP
- Olivia Oprea, Oprea Law
- Paul Macleod, Manager, Legal Aid Ontario
- S. George Joseph, Petrone & Partners
- Amanda Blaise, Legal Aid Ontario
- The Honourable Justice Gordon Cudjoe, Ontario Superior Court of Justice
- The Honourable Doug Downey, Attorney General of Ontario, Ministry of the Attorney General
- Peter Howie, Judson Howie LLP
- Christopher Pang, Director, Central Roster Management, Legal Aid Ontario
- Darcy DesLauriers, Director, Lawyer Services and Payments, Legal Aid Ontario
- Amy Shoemaker, Director, LAO Law, Legal Aid Ontario
- Fallon Melander, Associate Vice President, Indigenous Services, Legal Aid Ontario
- Justin Persaud, Senior Counsel, Legal Aid Ontario
- Amy Grubb, Legal Solutions Architect, Spellbook
Steering Committee
- Lisa Bernstein, Director, External Relations, Strategy & Public Affairs, Legal Aid Ontario
- Patti Latimer, Strategic Policy Counsel - Policy, Law Society of Ontario
- Jason Pichelli, Manager, External Relations, Law Society of Ontario
- Samantha Spence, PMP, Senior Advisor, External Relations, Legal Aid Ontario
- Jason Goodman, External Relations, Legal Aid Ontario
