What is the 1 Hour of Your Time Campaign?
The 1 hour of your time campaign asks you to donate the value of one billable hour of your time. Your donation becomes action. With your support, we are able to provide services to Montreal residents who otherwise may not be able to assert or defend their rights.
Progress to Our Goal
How will your donation help?
> Continue operating our three service points and provide 600+ free legal consultations to Montrealers every year;
> Train future jurists;
> Develop new and accessible legal workshops, in collaboration with community organizations;
> Participate in innovative access to justice research to improve our practices.
MELC’s Mission
Promoting access to justice by providing quality assistance to those in need and by actively involving the legal community in this goal.
Our Services
We serve people who fall within the “justice gap”; those with neither means to hire a lawyer, nor eligibility for government legal aid. Our two staff lawyers, along with our eight law student interns and over 30 volunteer lawyers provide legal information, advice and accompaniment to more than 400 clients every year in various areas of law.
The MELC offers its services to individuals from the Greater Montreal area at three service points located within community organizations in the Mile End, Little Burgundy and Park Extension neighbourhoods.
Empowering Our Clients
The language of law is foreign to most people. A large part of our work is to translate legal jargon into words our clients understand. Whether it’s reviewing divorce procedures, prepping for a hearing at the Small Claims Division, or helping with tenancy problems, the MELC strives to offer personalized legal assistance. Our clients receive the information and advice to properly self-represent, guidance on settlement possibilities, assistance in negotiations, and more. Here are two testimonials from our clients:
Julia & Allen
“We sought the help of the Mile End Legal Clinic when our then-landlord became abusive and obstructive after we notified him of a bedbug infestation in our dwelling.
MELC was instrumental in helping us cope during one of the worst years of our lives. Mtre Ning and two MELC volunteer lawyers kept us prepared and handled us with patience when we were fragile. They saved us from massive losses and made us feel brave and capable of facing a Sisyphean task.
The Clinic prepared us for our hearings and thus we were able to leave our dwelling successfully, with our dignity and much of our belongings intact.
Even if we had been financially able I do not believe we could have found better help and encouragement anywhere else.”
Mrs. L.
Mrs. L sought the Clinic’s help after dealing with a dishonest door-to-door salesman which resulted in the purchase of a thermo pump and a myriad of complications. The Clinic researched her case, helped her draft a demand letter and an application before the Small Claims Division and prepped her for her hearing. She recently received a positive judgment and is more than satisfied with the result and for following through to assert her rights.
“I give my thanks and gratitude to the Clinic’s team – thank you for your warm welcome, for actively listening to me about my legal problem, for your moral support, for your expertise, as well as precise and complete follow-ups. You helped by giving me strength to go forward when I was going to give up, by helping me to build self-confidence, by organizing my file and finally by preparing me for my hearing.
If I received a positive judgment, it’s thanks to the Mile End Legal Clinic’s team’s professionalism and for its solid accompaniment. I hope that organizations like the Clinic continue to be supported and to exist to help vulnerable people dealing with their legal problems. I’m so grateful for everything you’ve helped me with and will never forget it.”
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Thank Yous
The Mile End Legal Clinic would like to thank the following partners for their precious support:
Principal Donors and Grantors ($10,000 and more)
Fonds Accès Justice
Emplois d’été Canada
