Student Legal Assistance

What Student Legal Assistance does

Student Legal Assistance (SLA) is a non-profit, registered charitable organization that has operated since 1979 in Calgary, Alberta, providing pro-bono legal information and representation to low-income residents of Calgary and surrounding municipalities. The clinic is staffed primarily by approximately 100-140 University of Calgary law student caseworkers, who handle client intake, manage files, and make court appearances, run trials, and attend dispute resolution proceedings under the supervision of an Executive Director and a team of approximately seven advising lawyers. Core service areas include criminal defense, civil matters, family law, traffic and bylaw offences, landlord-tenant disputes, notary services, University of Calgary student appeals, AISH/Income Support appeals, and record suspensions.

SLA's business model is not commercial. Revenue is derived from institutional funding (Alberta Law Foundation and University of Calgary Students' Union), individual donations processed through Square and Canada Helps, an annual charity golf tournament, and a one-time $50 application fee that is waived for University of Calgary undergraduates. The organization does not have proprietary technology; its operational footprint consists of a single office on the University of Calgary campus, on-site outreach at partner community agencies (Calgary Dream Centre, CUPS Calgary, Alpha House), and phone-based intake. There is no AI, no software product, and no API or SDK surface.

The clinic serves a highly defined and financially constrained customer base, creating structural revenue concentration risk around two institutional funders. Service delivery is contingent on continued student volunteer participation and supervising lawyer availability, and the organization cannot make court appearances during student examination periods.

Name

Student Legal Assistance

Legal name

Student Legal Assistance Society (Calgary)

Website

https://slacalgary.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Student Legal Assistance is a Calgary-based non-profit, pro-bono legal clinic founded in 1979 that provides free legal information and representation to low-income residents across criminal, civil, family, traffic, and landlord-tenant matters, staffed primarily by University of Calgary law student caseworkers under advising lawyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Legal Education & Legal Aid Clinics (Law School–Run) (EDAHAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM), Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC)

Keywords

• Pro-bono legal services
• Legal aid clinic
• Community legal services
• Student legal clinic
• Access to justice

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: SLA is a charitable organization that relies on donations from individuals. Donations can be made via donation slip by mail, online through Square payment link, or through Canada Helps platform.
2. Institutional Funding: SLA receives funding from the Alberta Law Foundation and the University of Calgary Students' Union. These are the primary institutional funders that support ongoing operations.
3. Application Fee: SLA charges a one-time application fee of $50 for services, with an exception for University of Calgary undergrads who receive services for free.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Student Legal Assistance is a non-profit, registered charitable organization that provides free legal information and representation to low-income residents of Calgary and surrounding areas. Services are delivered by approximately 100-140 University of Calgary law student caseworkers under the supervision of an Executive Director and a team of advising lawyers, spanning criminal, civil, family, traffic/bylaw, landlord-tenant, notary, AISH/Income Support appeal, record suspension, and University of Calgary student appeal matters.

Product overview

Student Legal Assistance operates as a unified pro-bono legal clinic offering a comprehensive portfolio of legal services. The core offering consists of legal information and representation delivered by University of Calgary law student caseworkers under lawyer supervision. Services span multiple practice areas including Criminal, Civil, Family, Traffic/Bylaw, Landlord-Tenant, Notary Services, University of Calgary Student Appeals, AISH/Income Support Appeals, and Record Suspensions. Student caseworkers serve as legal agents making court appearances, running trials, and attending dispute resolution proceedings for qualifying low-income clients in Calgary and surrounding areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Pro-bono legal services for low-income Calgarians who would otherwise go unrepresented

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Calgary Dream CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner where SLA caseworkers volunteer providing on-site outreach services. Part of SLA's community outreach initiative to reach underserved populations.
• CUPS CalgaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner where SLA caseworkers volunteer providing on-site outreach services. Part of SLA's community outreach initiative to reach underserved populations.
• Alpha HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner where SLA caseworkers volunteer providing on-site outreach services. Part of SLA's community outreach initiative to reach underserved populations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Legal Aid Alberta: Provincial legal aid provider funded by the Alberta government delivering legal services across the province. As one of SLA's primary funders via the Alberta Law Foundation and a broader provider of the same services in the same region, it is the most relevant incumbent peer.
• Calgary Legal Guidance: Non-profit Calgary-based legal clinic providing free legal information and representation to low-income Calgarians. Directly comparable mission and geography to SLA, operating as a non-student legal aid peer in the same city.

Direct peers

• Downtown Legal Services (University of Toronto): University of Toronto law school-run legal aid clinic providing pro bono services to low-income Toronto residents. Operates the same student-staffed clinical legal education model as Student Legal Assistance, serving as the most direct peer in the Canadian law school clinic ecosystem.
• Dalhousie Legal Aid Service: Schulich School of Law (Dalhousie) affiliated legal aid service providing clinical education and free legal services in Halifax. Closely mirrors SLA's combined clinical education and access-to-justice mandate.
• Community Legal Services (University of Ottawa): University of Ottawa law school-run legal aid clinic providing free services to low-income residents of Ottawa. Directly comparable to SLA in operating model, bilingual service delivery, and student-caseworker structure.
• Pro Bono Students Canada: National network of Canadian law school pro bono programs placing law students in supervised volunteer placements. While not a single clinic, it is directly comparable to SLA as a student-staffed pro bono legal services vehicle operating in the same Canadian law school ecosystem.
• University of Alberta Student Legal Services: University of Alberta Faculty of Law student-staffed legal services office serving the Edmonton community. Operates the same law school clinic model as SLA, making it the closest in-province and academic peer.
• Osgoode Hall Law School - CLASP (Community & Legal Aid Services Program): York University's Osgoode Hall law school-run legal clinic providing poverty law services in the Greater Toronto Area. Closely analogous to SLA in being a clinical legal education program operated by law students under lawyer supervision.
• UBC Law Students Legal Advice Program (LSLAP): Peter A. Allard School of Law student-run pro bono legal advice clinic serving the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Closely comparable to SLA in structure (law student caseworkers, supervised by advising lawyers), service mix, and pro bono access-to-justice mission.

Regional players

• Pro Bono Law Alberta: Alberta-wide organization facilitating pro bono legal services by connecting lawyers with clients and non-profits. Operates in the same province and access-to-justice space as SLA, but with a referral/model rather than direct-representation model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/StudentLegalAssistance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/student-legal-assistance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles27 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Student Legal Assistance