About

The Legal Information Clinic at McGill (LICM) is a non-profit, student-run, bilingual and free legal information service. Our mandate is to provide legal information, referrals, and community services to the McGill and Montreal communities, with a continuing commitment to meeting the needs of marginalized groups.

The LICM is staffed by McGill law students, although it is an independent organization. Through its Advocacy services, it acts as advisor to McGill students in their academic disputes with the University.

Our volunteers do not provide legal advice; they only provide information.

1973
The Legal Information Clinic at McGill (then called the McGill Legal Aid Clinic) opens its doors to the public at the initiative of law students at McGill. With offices on the 4th floor of the Student Union Building and open at irregular hours, the Clinic has two directors and a couple dozen volunteers handling an estimated 500 cases that year.
1985
The LICM continues to grow: it now has four directors working full time during the summer and sixty volunteers during the school year. The continued growth of the organization has made it necessary to move to a larger space in the basement of the Student Union Building in order to better serve the increasing demand.
1988
Following a referendum through which McGill students demonstrate the value they see in its services, the LICM begins to receive direct student funding to provide legal information to students and other community members.
1989
The LICM opens its Student Advocacy Office to represent students in internal university disciplinary procedures and complaints.
1990
The Legal Information Clinic at McGill is incorporated as a non-profit organization.
1992
Due to continued growth, the Community Services Directorship is established to bring the LICM closer to the community and develop stronger partnerships with other community organizations.
1998
The Just Info presentation program is founded to serve the LICM’s outreach goals. By way of this program, volunteers provide legal information presentations to community organizations throughout Montreal on a vast range of topics.
1999
The Director of Research position is established. The goal for the new Directorship is to ensure an ever higher standard for the quality of information provided by the LICM to its clients.
2006
The LICM meets the 21st Century! All volunteer workstations are equipped with computers and most operations move from paper to computer for a more efficient process (and less use of paper!).
2007
The LICM begins offering a Commissioner of Oaths service to its clientele for free.
2013
The Legal Information Clinic at McGill turns 40, hosting a 40th anniversary conference entitled “Partnering Legal Education and Social Justice across Boundaries”. The conference brings together legal clinics and educators, lawyers, alumni, and community members from across Québec and even Ontario.
2017
The LICM launches the Court Accompaniment pilot project to increase access to justice through education on procedure and moral support to clients who are navigating the justice system. Through this service, volunteers accompany clients to hearings at the Régie du logement and the Small Claims Court.
2019
Now staffed by six Directors and over eighty volunteers, the Legal Information Clinic at McGill is a well-established and respected member of the Québec legal community serving more than two thousand clients per year… with much more history to be written!

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