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Novalex

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NOVAlex

Clinic

A social economy initiative for the legal profession

The NOVAlex legal clinic is a non-profit organization which offers, through the NOVAlex law firm, pro bono legal services to eligible low-income individuals, non-profit organizations and  start-ups.* The clinic also provides legal information to the public through seminars and conferences.

* Certain exceptions apply; please contact us.

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determine your
eligibility

Individuals

Your financial situation must prevent you from being able to afford the cost of the legal services you need. Based on your family situation, you may be eligible to our pro bono services if you earn less than the maximum annual income levels listed below:

Single person

$38,000

Family composed of one adult and one child

$47,000

Family composed of one adult and two or more children

$50,000

Family composed of two spouses without children

$53,000

Family composed of two spouses and one child

$60,000

Family composed of two spouses and two or more children

$63,000

Start-up businesses and non-profit organizations

You must be :

Or

A BUSINESS WITH A HIGH SOCIAL IMPACT THAT HAS BEEN IN OPERATIONS FOR LESS THAN 5 YEARS, WHOSE OPERATIONAL BUDGET DID NOT EXCEED $500,000 IN THE YEAR PRECEDING THE REQUEST, AND WHOSE SHAREHOLDERS OR PARTNERS HAVE EACH EARNED GROSS REVENUES BEFORE TAXES OF LESS THAN $40,000 IN THE YEAR PRECEDING THE REQUEST.

Or

A NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION OR COOPERATIVE, HAVING A HIGH COMMUNITY IMPACT AND WHOSE OPERATIONAL BUDGET DID NOT EXCEED $500,000 IN THE YEAR PRECEDING THE REQUEST.

You must have an individual, social or administrative right to assert in a civil or commercial matter.

Please note that NOVAlex does not currently offer legal services in family law, youth law or criminal law matters.

As applicable, you must bear all judicial costs (legal stamp, notification and service fees, expert costs if necessary, etc.) as well as any accessory fees related to your matter (for example, long-distance phone calls, postal and messenger fees, computer-based search fees, printing and photocopying fees, travel costs, and deposit fees). If your file meets our eligibility requirements, you may have to make a deposit in trust before NOVAlex can take on your file.

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make a request

Please complete our request form.

Individuals Start-up businesses and non-profit organizations

Make sure to send us all of the information relevant to your request at least four (4) weeks prior to any hearing date before a court or tribunal, or prior to any other step that must be taken in your file, as the case may be.

We will review your request as soon as possible.

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schedule your first meeting

If, on the basis of the information provided in your request, you appear to be eligible to receive our pro bono services, NOVAlex will contact you in order to schedule a first meeting. We may ask you for additional information and documents in order to analyze your file, including as concerns your financial situation.

You will be informed of NOVAlex’s final decision to take responsibility of your file or not after our first meeting. NOVAlex may refuse to take on your file if you do not meet the eligibility criteria, if we are not able to provide services in the area of law relevant to your file, in the event of a conflict of interests, or if our quantity of requests is too high for us to be able to assist you.

workshops and conferences

In addition to taking carriage of clients’ files, we also offer legal information services and justice-related seminars and conferences.

upcoming events

resources

NOVAlex cooperates with various organizations and businesses in order to disseminate resources and initiatives of other actors working on improving access to justice in Québec.

See resources