Legal help that sounds like a person talking.
Act Now Legal Services was started in Barrie in 2013 because the people we kept meeting at the LTB and small claims court didn't need a courtroom — they needed someone to explain what was happening in their own kitchen, and then do something about it.
A paralegal firm built for the kitchen table, not the courtroom.
The first client who ever called us was a woman whose landlord had taped an N4 to her front door on a Tuesday afternoon. She'd worked at the same job for nineteen years, she'd never been late on rent before, and she was holding the form in one hand and her phone in the other when she called.
By the time we picked up, she'd already cried twice and convinced herself she was about to be homeless. She wasn't. We walked her through it on the phone, told her exactly how many days she actually had, what to do, and what it would cost. Total time on the call: forty minutes. Total cost: zero. The eviction never happened.
That's most of what we do — translate the panic-inducing piece of paper into a thing you can actually act on. Sometimes that means going to a hearing. Sometimes it means a strongly-worded letter. Sometimes it means we tell you to put the form down and go for a walk, you're fine.
We're licensed under the Law Society of Ontario, which means we can represent you anywhere paralegals are allowed — the LTB, Small Claims, and Provincial Offences. We can't do family law, criminal indictable, or wills. When you need one of those, we'll point you to a lawyer we trust.
Three things we'll always do.
Not values printed on a wall — promises we'll repeat back at you on every call.
"Section 69 of the RTA" is what the form says. We translate it into "this is what your landlord has to do next, and this is what you do back."
Call before 4pm on a weekday and you'll hear back the same day. Evenings and weekends, first thing the next business morning. Hearings in 48 hours? Mention it.
About a third of free calls end with "you don't actually need to hire anyone." We'd rather lose the job than charge you for a problem you can fix in twenty minutes yourself.
A small firm. On purpose.
Three paralegals all here to serve you. Whoever picks up the phone can help you — no handoffs, no junior-staff drop-off after the contract is signed. You'll get the best one of us, not the one who's 'available'.
Owner of Act Now Legal Services. Licensed Paralegal, Real Estate Agent, and Property Investor. She has done it all and has stood in front of LTB adjudicators more times than most lawyers have.
Founder of the firm, brings 13 years of experience in small claims court with a track record of successful outcomes.
Direct, strategic, and not easily rattled — Valerie is a strong advocate in Provincial Offences matters.
What Barrie clients say.
I called them at 9pm the night before my hearing. Someone called back before 9am. By that afternoon we had a plan. They didn't make me feel stupid for waiting.
They got my speeding ticket dropped to a non-moving violation. My insurance company never even saw it. The fee was less than one year of premium increase would have been.
My tenant was four months behind and threatening me. They walked me through every step of the L1, and we got an order in six weeks. Worth every dollar.
Needed a stat dec for my kid's passport on a Friday afternoon. Walked in, twenty minutes, done. Forty bucks. They even photocopied it for me.