Organizations

The website of the CBA is packed with useful information including online access to the latest issue of the organization’s magazine, The National. The site also allows you to register on a number of online mailing lists and discussion groups according to your area of interest, as well as providing an events calendar, a publications list, podcast link, and a good selection of links to other legal sites.

Rebranded in 2015, the former County & District Law Presidents’ Association (CDLPA) is comprised of current Presidents of 46 County or District Law Associations in the Province of Ontario and has a collaborative relationship with the Toronto Lawyers Association. The presidents and other association representatives meet semi-annually in May and November plenary sessions to discuss, debate and form resolutions on issues affecting the profession. FOLA states it is the only legal organization dedicated to being the voice of the practicing Bar in Ontario.

This site gives you access to all kinds of city-related information from what the tax rates are for different classes of property, to how much a dog licence is, along with information on possible land-use changes and who is responsible for what at City Hall.  You can register for Spectrum programs or get into the City Maps feature where you can even find out what type of tree is planted in your front yard.

Although the MLA Library has never held a comprehensive collection of city by-laws, we still get asked for them. The official version of all by-laws can be obtained from the City Clerk’s Department on the 3rd Floor of City Hall, but an easily accessible source for these documents is the City of London website.  It provides a selection of regulatory by-laws that have wide application within the City of London. The documents provided are consolidated versions that incorporate all amendments passed by City Council. On the opening page of each by-law document, you’ll find information on when the last amendment or consolidation occurred. All by-law documents are in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format.

The site for the licensing body for lawyers and paralegals in Ontario provides relevant, current information on topics like spot audits and CPD. The design reflects an emphasis on the LSO’s mandate to ensure lawyers’ professional competence, and lawyers can access a variety of practice resources under the For Lawyers tab. There is also some information aimed at members of the public, such as the complaint process, finding a lawyer and what to do if a lawyer’s bill seems too high.

This is the overseeing body for the Ontario courthouse library system. This site provides a wealth of information about the history, the purpose, the personnel, the philosophy and anything else you would want to know about LiRN.  It comes complete with links to supporting documentation, details about and links to each county courthouse library, and more. LiRN administers the grants to the libraries as approved by the Law Society of Ontario in its budget, and funds free access to Lexis Advance Quicklaw, Lexis Practical Guidance, selected Westlaw Source products and vLex with Vincent AI in every county and district law association library.

The OBA has a proactive site full of useful information for lawyers.  You can read about all the organization’s initiatives, explore the various practice sections, find out about upcoming CPD events and search their publications catalogue.  Members can also tailor the opening page to display information pertinent to their areas of practice.

This organization assumed responsibility from the Ministry of Consumer Services for the administration of the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act. Its mandate focuses on consumer protection and administration of regulatory requirements for Ontario’s real estate profession’s complaint, compliance and discipline procedures.  It has created a detailed, informative website that would be an asset to every real estate lawyer’s bookmark file.