Ontario licenses two people who may give legal advice: lawyers (barristers and solicitors) and paralegals. Both are regulated by the Law Society of Ontario. The difference is scope — not whether one is 'real'.
The expensive mistake is paying lawyer rates for paralegal-scope work, or trusting lawyer-scope work to someone who cannot finish it.
| Topic | Lawyer | Licensed paralegal |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator | Law Society of Ontario | Law Society of Ontario |
| Family law, real estate, wills, immigration | Yes — full scope | No — outside paralegal scope |
| Small Claims Court | Yes | Yes — often the proportionate choice |
| Landlord and Tenant Board | Yes | Yes — a core paralegal forum |
| Superior Court of Justice | Yes | No |
| How to verify | LSO public directory | LSO public directory |
Choose Lawyer when
- Separation, divorce, parenting or support
- A closing, a will, or estate administration
- An IRCC application or immigration refusal
- A dispute heading to the Superior Court
Choose Licensed paralegal when
- A Landlord and Tenant Board hearing
- A Small Claims Court claim
- A traffic or provincial-offences ticket
- You want proportionate cost inside that scope