FAQs

The A2I project benefits Ontarians, legal service providers and the LSO. In response to regulatory issues that innovators and consumers have faced in developing and using innovative technological legal services (ITLS), the A2I project is designed to provide greater certainty about the rules and standards that will apply to ITLS providers and to provide consumers with increased choice and confidence that the assistance they receive is effective and reliable.

Read more about the A2I project and its objectives.

A2I is funded through the Law Society of Ontario’s general operating budget as well as by public interest grant support.

Part of the funding for the A2I project is generously provided by a grant from The Law Foundation of Ontario. Through granting and collaboration, the Foundation invests in knowledge and services that help people understand the law and use it to improve their lives. The Law Society is grateful for its support.

A2I participants are subject to a thorough approval process, active monitoring by the Law Society of Ontario (LSO), and regular reporting requirements.

Each approved participant must maintain and operate its own complaint resolution process. The LSO evaluates each participant’s process to ensure that it can appropriately address issues that may arise.

The LSO retains the authority to suspend or revoke a participant’s approval, where serious problems arise.

The A2I project is open to any type of legal service provider – licensed lawyer or paralegal, non-licensed person, law firm, business or not-for-profit organization. If you are seeking to deliver legal services via innovative technology and currently face regulatory barriers, the A2I project is designed for you.

A2I participants must have obtained all other applicable permissions, such as business permits, to operate in Ontario.

The Law Society of Ontario (LSO) is responsible for regulating the provision of legal services in Ontario, and the A2I project is first and foremost a regulatory initiative. It is not an incubator or accelerator in the common understanding of those terms. For example, the A2I project is not designed to provide funding support or operational mentorship and resources to participants.

Nevertheless, the LSO recognizes the important role that incubators and accelerators play in spurring innovation. Many of the features and objectives of the A2I project are compatible with those of incubators and accelerators.

For example, by reducing regulatory uncertainty and offering routes to approved service provision, the A2I project gives Innovative Technological Legal Services (ITLS) providers confidence that they can grow successful, sustainable operations. By establishing operating criteria and parameters, the A2I project can also help give ITLS providers targets for the features and protections they need to build into their service models – for example, cybersecurity requirements to protect consumers’ confidential information.

Read more about how the A2I project works.

There is no deadline to apply to the A2I project. You may apply at any point during the five-year pilot period, rather than at certain fixed intake periods.

There is no cap on the number of applicants or participants in the A2I project.

Each application decision will be communicated in a written report that explains the basis for the decision. Applicants may request a review of a decision to reject an application or of conditions imposed in a decision to approve an application. Review decisions are made by an Executive Director of the Law Society of Ontario. Application approval decisions will be made with reference to the approval criteria.

Operating requirements will be tailored to the individual circumstances of each A2I participant and any identified risks involved in their delivery of legal services.

Participants will commonly be required to:

• Communicate certain information to consumers, including, for example:
  • disclosure that the provider is an approved participant in the A2I project
  • informed consent disclosures (where applicable), for example, that the provider has certain limitations in terms of the tasks or functions that it is permitted to perform
  • information about how to make a complaint or provide feedback.
• collect and report data to the Law Society
• maintain a system for addressing consumer complaints
• carry appropriate insurance
• submit to ongoing monitoring and auditing protocols.

If proposed changes to your service delivery model will impact the conditions of your approval or any terms of your participation agreement, contact the A2I team promptly to discuss options. The A2I project aims to be flexible and cognizant of business realities in the legal innovation space.

All approved A2I participants will be listed on our website.

A2I participants are required to maintain effective complaint resolution processes. If you have a complaint about services you received from an A2I participant, you should contact that provider directly.

If you have a serious concern that an A2I participant has not resolved your complaint appropriately, please contact the A2I team at the Law Society of Ontario, by email: accesstoinnovation@lso.ca.