Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP is proud of our deep tradition of giving to our community. We believe that donating our time and expertise to people who need legal assistance and cannot afford to pay a lawyer enriches both our people and our role in the communities where we practice.  With members from all of our practice areas, our active Pro Bono Committee seeks opportunities for all of our professionals to provide pro bono services and ensures we reach the objectives in our Pro Bono Policy. 

We value the opportunity to handle pro bono matters for individuals and organizations with limited means, understanding how much donating our time helps our pro bono clients and brings us in return.  Our pro bono work contributes to our professional development and our professionals’ desire to make a long lasting and positive impact on the communities we serve.  Everyone at FMC supports these projects from start to finish, knowing that our dedication to pro bono services strengthens FMC’s positive and forward-thinking culture – a culture we believe has always been critical to our success.

In addition to the many individuals we have represented, we strive to develop relationships with organizations that help connect us with those in need.  The following highlights some of our pro bono work:

Recent Matters:

International Legal Foundation (Canada)
Lawyers in our Vancouver office have worked with the International Legal Foundation (Canada) in its effort to incorporate.  The federal organization seeks to help post-conflict countries, like Afghanistan and Nepal, establish fair criminal justice systems through free legal services to those in need and programs for those involved in re-establishing and running the criminal justice system. 

National Capital Ski Corporation
In Ottawa, FMC lawyers represent the National Capital Ski Organization before the Tax Court and Federal Court of Appeal.

Lawyers Without Borders
Our Ottawa office represented the Lawyers Without Borders organization in a challenge against its registered trade-mark.

Pro Bono Law Ontario (PBLO) Small Claims Court Duty Counsel Project
Several FMC litigators are providing pro bono legal representation to individuals through PBLO’s Small Claims Court Duty Counsel Project in Toronto.

Smiling Land Foundation
In addition to giving general advice, FMC helped the Smiling Land Foundation incorporate and register as a charitable corporation.  Based in Ontario, the foundation raises money for a range of causes in Newfoundland and Labrador, including raising money for the Daffodil House residence for cancer patients travelling to Saint John for treatment.

Toronto Jewish Free Loan Casa
We provide services to the Toronto Jewish Free Loan Casa, an organization that offers interest-free personal, business and student loans to individuals in need.

Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC)
FMC lawyers in Toronto helped TRIEC obtain charitable status.  Through a number of programs, TRIEC helps skilled immigrants enter the Canadian workforce. 

Continuing Commitments:

United Way
Working with the organization for many years in all of our offices, we initially helped the United Way incorporate in the Greater Toronto Area in 1956 and more recently helped the United Way of Ottawa revise its by-laws.  We currently act as honorary counsel to the United Way, advising on numerous corporate, intellectual property and trade marks, pensions, labour and employment, litigation, trust and estate, tax and real estate matters.

Appellate Work
In Quebec, we have handled numerous pro bono appeals for individuals who could not afford a lawyer, including Blais v MNR (Tax Court of Canada), Duclos v. Bélanger (Quebec Superior Court), Williamson v. Sous-ministre du Revenu du Québec (Court of Quebec), and a custody dispute and Lacroix v. Valois in the Supreme Court of Canada.  Our Vancouver office also handled a pro bono appeal for the Women’s Legal and Education Action Fund (LEAF), an organization dedicated to ensuring that Canadian legal institutions and government agencies uphold the Charter rights of women and girls and educating the public on gender equality issues.

Advocate Society’s LSUC Pro Bono Duty Counsel
Through the Advocate Society’s Pro Bono Duty Counsel project, our lawyers volunteer as duty counsel to unrepresented lawyers appearing before the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Hearing Panel in disciplinary proceedings.

Altruvest
We provide pro bono legal services to Altruvest, an organization dedicated to improving the governance of charitable organizations in Canada.  Our lawyers have also served on Altruvest’s Board of Directors for the past several years.

Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa
FMC serves as Honorary Legal Counsel to the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa.

Centre for Spanish Speaking People (CSSP)
The CCSP legal aid clinic provides summary advice and representation to Spanish speaking people on a variety of issues people living in poverty typically face.  In addition to helping the clinic preserve its funding by convincing Legal Aid Ontario of the clinic’s access to qualified lawyers to supervise its front-line services, we are helping a client establish entitlement to Canada Pension Plan ("CPP") disability benefits. 

Dorothy Ley Hospice
In addition to serving as Past President and members of the Board of Directors for the Dorothy Ley Hospice in Toronto, FMC lawyers have provided corporate, real estate and employment legal advice and services in a range of matters associated with opening the hospice’s new free-standing residential palliative care centre. Most recently, we have been helping the hospice prepare for its upcoming expansion and move into its own facility by preparing employment agreements, advising on the hiring process, and streamlining its employment, volunteer and human resources policies and procedures.

Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada
Lawyers in our Toronto office have served as Honorary Legal Counsel and provided  services since 1980.

Northern Magic Fund
Our lawyers provide pro bono legal advice to the Northern Magic Fund, an organization that gives funding to African Schools.

Ontario Child Advocacy Project
Working with the Ontario Child Advocacy Project, we represent special needs children and their families to safeguard their public education rights in disputes with their schools. Our work includes protecting children from unfair dismissal from the classroom for emotional and intellectual disabilities and filing complaints with the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC).

Pro Bono Law Ontario (PBLO) Law Help Ontario
Litigators in our Toronto office provide a range of services to unrepresented litigants with civil cases before the Superior Court of Ontario, through PBLO’s Law Help Ontario, Ontario’s first court-based self-help centre for low-income litigants.  In this way, our lawyers help low income litigants represent themselves more effectively.

Law Society of Alberta Pro Bono Committee
An FMC lawyer serves as a member of the Law Society of Alberta’s Pro Bono Committee.

Pro Bono Law Alberta
Actively involved with Pro Bono Law Alberta, FMC lawyers have served on the Board as members and current Vice President in addition to providing direct legal services and advice to the organization.

Calgary Legal Guidance
FMC lawyers have volunteered with Calgary Legal Guidance, an organization that provides free legal advice to low income people, and have served as members and past Chair of the Board.

Edmonton Community Legal Centre
Our lawyers have served as volunteer lawyers, as well as Chair and member of the Board of Directors, for the Edmonton Community Legal Centre, formerly the Edmonton Centre for Equal Justice.

Edmonton Women’s Shelter
Our lawyers provide volunteer legal services to the Edmonton Women’s Shelter, a charity that helps women and children who are victims of domestic violence.

British Columbia Coalition of Persons with Disabilities
Lawyers in our Vancouver office have provided a range of pro bono legal services to the British Columbia Coalition of Persons with Disabilities.

British Columbia Pro Bono Law Association
FMC lawyers are involved with both the British Columbia Pro Bono Law Association and British Columbia Access to Justice.

Salvation Army British Columbia Pro Bono Program
Our lawyers regularly volunteer at the Salvation Army British Columbia Pro Bono Program’s legal clinic in Vancouver.