Many people are not aware of the fact that lawyers and law firms are quite charitable, both directly and indirectly.
One of the indirect ways a law firm helps the community at large is through trust account interest.
When a law firm handles money on behalf of clients, that money is held in a trust account. None of the interest generated by that account is kept by the law firm. All of the interest earned on monies sitting in the account is sent to the Law Society of Upper Canada, a body which oversees lawyers in Ontario, and much of it is applied to fund Legal Aid and Legal Aid clinics. Any person who cannot afford a lawyer can obtain a Legal Aid Certificate and get the legal assistance they need with their problems.
Another indirect way that lawyers assist the community at large is to protect the subrogated claims of the Ontario Health Insurance Plan, better known as OHIP.
When a person suffers an injury in Ontario, such as a slip and fall accident or from a doctor’s mistake or a defective product, their medical treatment is covered by OHIP. If an accident lawyer starts a claim on behalf of an injured person, that lawyer notifies OHIP that a claim has been brought, and OHIP in turn notifies the lawyer about how much OHIP has spent on the injured party’s medical treatment. The lawyer then acts for both the injured party and OHIP together to recover compensation for the injured party, and the health care money spent by OHIP. Imagine it like a motorcycle with a sidecar attached. The injured party is the person on the motorcycle, and OHIP is sitting in the sidecar along for the ride.
The upside is that any money a lawyer recovers for OHIP goes back into the Plan for everybody else to use for their own, future medical needs.
Law firms also help the community directly by donating their legal services and time to charitable organizations. Whether they’re sponsoring a charity event or directly participating in fundraising or activities, everybody wins.
Our firm has been a proud sponsor of many groups, including the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, the Brain Injury Society of Ontario, the Canadian Paraplegic Association (Ontario), and others. We are also directly involved with the Good Shepherd, an organization which provides meals and shelter to the homeless, as well as running supportive residences with seniors and those living with HIV/AIDS.
