Dispute Resolution Centre
What is Community Legal Services?
Community Legal Services is a non-profit organization funded by Legal Aid Ontario and The University of Western Ontario, providing free legal assistance to people who cannot afford a lawyer. The clinic is staffed by Western Law students working under the supervision of Review Lawyers.
All fee paying full-time post secondary students of Fanshawe College are eligible for these free legal services. The cost of these services are subsidized by the Fanshawe Student Union. Community Legal Services has been contracted to provide these services at the UWO Campus.
At the present time, the areas of law include:
You can schedule an appointment by calling 519.661.3352 or emailing clsinfo@nulluwo.ca. It is requested students call prior to going to the office.
For more information visit the Community Legal Services page on the Western Law website.
Dispute Resolution Centre
The Dispute Resolution Centre (DRC) is a not-for-profit organization which provides mediation services to residents of London and Middlesex County who wish to resolve their disputes quickly, efficiently and inexpensively. Operated by law students under the supervision of a Faculty Member at the University of Western Ontario, the DRC can help you develop solutions to conflict in an organized and informal way.
Mediation is a process which is flexible to the needs of the parties. Solving your problem with the assistance of the DRC has many advantages. Our service is:
- FREE Avoid the costs of going to court! The DRC services are free.
- FAST We will contact all participants within a few days. The mediation process can be completed in as little as two weeks.
- CONVENIENT Mediations can be arranged to accommodate your schedule: day, evening or weekend.
- INFORMAL You can work through your conflict in a relaxed, neutral and private setting. The mediation process will not result in court or police records.
- CONFIDENTIAL All information is held in strict confidence.
The DRC is financially supported by various government and community grants and donations.
Contacts in the community include the London Police Department, the Better Business Bureau, and Community Legal Services.
Choosing to resolve your dispute through mediation allows you to choose your own settlement and maintain full control over the outcome.
Mediation is a process for people who want to resolve their own conflicts and avoid escalation of a dispute. During the mediation process, two trained mediators provide the framework for effective communication between the parties in conflict.
A mediator does not take sides, decide who is right or wrong or impose solutions. Rather, the mediator acts as a neutral third party setting ground rules, focusing discussion and creating a safe and fair environment where the parties can resolve their differences.
Each person will be given equal opportunity to present the issue from their perspective and to listen and respond to the other party's concerns.
The mediation process is flexible to the needs of those involved. Attention is focused on each person's interests as the parties are in full control of the outcome.
When you reach an agreement that is acceptable to you, we will encourage you to put it in writing as a sign of your commitment to the solution.
The DRC can assist in creating fair and lasting solutions to problems such as:
- Neighbourhood disputes (noise, pets, boarders)
- Interpersonal conflict
- Employment related disputes
- Consumer-merchant conflicts
- Tenant problems (landlord-tenant, roommates)
*Note that the DRC does not mediate disputes involving child custody, pending criminal charges or matters involving money in excess of the Small Claims Court limit.
For more information visit the Dispute Resolution Centre page on the Western Law website.
