Serving the neighbourhood

A non-profit and independent legal aid clinic, Neighbourhood Legal Services (NLS), provides free legal services and assistance to clients living in the downtown east community of Toronto. The clinic, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, is one of the oldest in Ontario.

“We’ve been around longer than Legal Aid Ontario,” said Jennifer Stone, Executive Director, Neighbourhood Legal Services.

Since its formation in 1973, the mission of NLS has been to protect and advance the rights of low income people in Toronto. The organization provides direct legal services and also has a mandate from the provincial government to offer public legal education to community groups and agencies, engage in law reform, and collaborate in community development work.

“We believe that every client deserves access to effective legal representation and to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their situation,” said Stone. The clinic's catchment area spans from Bloor Street in the north to the Toronto Islands in the south, and from Yonge Street in the west to the Don Valley Parkway in the east. This community comprises many distinct neighbourhoods including Moss Park, St. James Town, Church Wellesley Village, and Cabbagetown.

Partnership with Lincoln Alexander Law

The Lincoln Alexander School of Law has enjoyed a strong partnership with NLS since its inception in 2020. Each term, the clinic recruits two students from the law school who complete their summer or professional placements by assisting the staff at the legal clinic.

“With an incredible focus on teaching, supervision, and community support, Lincoln Alexander Law students have learned so much from their experiences at NLS,” said Leanne Shafir, Director, Career Development & Professional Placement Office. “Our students are passionate about community lawyering, so to have the opportunity to work and learn in such an established clinic, from lawyers who are passionate about the work they are doing, has been phenomenal.”

NLS focuses on three core areas of the law: tenant-side housing law, income security law, and immigration law. Key services offered include eviction defence for tenants, advocacy for social assistance decisions, immigration help for those without status or who are separated from their children, and employment law advice. And through a partnership with four other legal clinics operating east of Yonge Street, NLS shares an employment lawyer who works on site at the legal clinic one day per week. By collaborating this way, the team is able to offer clients advice and representation on cases involving breaches of the Employment Standards Act and Employment Insurance appeals. 

When asked about the current challenges facing the organization, Stone points to the high case-to-case-worker ratio. In 2023, for example, approximately 1,500 cases were handled by only five NLS caseworkers. “The professionals that work here love what they do and see it as a calling,” said Stone. “They believe in what they’re doing and are passionate about it, which I think you have to be in this line of work.”

While the work is rewarding, Stone says it can also be difficult. “It’s emotionally taxing because you work hard to help people succeed. But when you’re able to help reunite them with their family members, or help them get their job back, or secure their housing, there’s no greater feeling. The highs are so high.”

From a student's perspective

Echoing that sentiment is Lincoln Alexander Law student Naheed Nero, who worked at NLS this past summer. “I’ve always had a passion for social justice and advocating for marginalized communities, so working at NLS this summer was perfect for me,” said Nero. “Having the opportunity to participate in the development of briefs, doing research, and being involved with client cases was such a great experience. And knowing that our work and our contributions are helping to make someone’s life better is really rewarding.”

With an interest in immigration law, Nero was fortunate to work with two immigration lawyers during her time at NLS. This coupled with her volunteer experience at another legal aid office, one of the experiential learning opportunities offered by Lincoln Alexander Law, Nero is convinced that pursuing immigration law is her path forward.

“The mentorship I received at NLS was wonderful,” said Nero. “Everyone was so supportive and dedicated to their work, but also to making sure the experience we had as students was beneficial. It was inspiring.”

Along with her NLS colleagues, Stone recognizes the importance of supporting and training the next generation of lawyers. The clinic staff regularly encourage discussions about cases and ethical issues, but are still mindful of the fact that NLS is a working clinic. “We’re funded and mandated to serve our community, and to provide excellent service to that community, but we also balance that with being educators to these future lawyers and we strive to expose them to these important types of work,” said Stone. 

Students placed with NLS are immediately engaged in case work from day one, and are afforded opportunities to sit in on intake interviews, write briefs, and run hearings by the end of their placement. “We love having Lincoln Alexander Law students with us at NLS. They have supported our staff immensely, and quickly become really core members of our team,” said Stone. 

Regardless of what the future holds for Nero, who will graduate from law school in 2026, she is grateful for the professional experience she gained while working at NLS and the opportunity to meaningfully collaborate with the clinic staff.

“The lawyers at NLS are deeply committed to advocating for underrepresented communities - their level of dedication is unmatched,” said Nero. “This commitment is something that I hope to carry forward in my career.”