About Connect Legal

Connect Legal is a registered charity formed to provide legal education and assistance to low-resource immigrants engaged in launching and growing independent businesses. Connect Legal provides educational services to hard working immigrant entrepreneurs by way of seminars and the dissemination of legal knowledge. Connect Legal also matches eligible low-resource immigrant entrepreneurs with volunteer commercial lawyers who provide pro bono (free) commercial law services conducive to business growth. (Connect Legal does not provide assistance with non-commercial, litigation or insolvency matters.)

Winners Announced

Sanjay Pandrala of Bugman Pest Control and Carolina Velez of ColombiaExotic have been chosen as the joint winners of the inaugural Connect Legal Most Promising Immigrant Entrepreneur Award. Click here to read the press release. Over 100 individuals attended the award ceremony on March 6 in downtown Toronto and watched Carolina and Sanjay being presented with the award -- thank you to everyone who came! The Toronto Star profiled them earlier this week here.

We want to thank everyone who entered the contest. You can read more about our five immigrant entrepreneur finalists.

To make a donation, please click the button below:

Registered Charity Number: 84434 5264 RR0001

Connect Legal's "Legal Issues for Small Businesses" Workshop:

"[The workshop] is an eye-openning experience. It's very important that we know how to protect ourselves up front as entrepreneurs." -- a Connect Legal workshop student

Did You Know?

A sole proprietorship is the simplest form of business and requires no formal steps to exist.

If the name of the business is not the owner's legal name, then the business name must be registered.

The business is not separate from the one owner, who has ultimate control of all decisions. All benefits and losses/obligations of the business go to the owner.

Questions? E-mail us at info@connectlegal.ca.

Connect Legal Received Vital Ideas Grant!

Connect Legal has been selected as a 2013 Vital Idea Award Recipient! This award is provided through the Vital Toronto Fund at the Toronto Community Foundation.

------------

Connect Legal in Toronto Star

Read the story on Connect Legal in the Toronto Star about the impact of our work, and how it helps immigrant entrepreneurs achieve their dreams. The article features the stories of the Connect Legal Most Promising Immigrant Entrepreneur Award Finalists Carolina Velez and Sanjay Pandrala.

Jason Kenney Praises Connect Legal

Jason Kenney, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, praises Connect Legal for helping immigrants to integrate and succeed and contributing to Canada's diversity and prosperity. Click here to read the letter.

---

Connect Legal Received New Funding!

We are proud to announce that we have been successful in securing new funding under Microlending for Women program from the Government of Ontario. We look forward to collaborating with our community partners to support women-run small businesses.

We have also received a grant from the Metcalf Foundation under their Inclusive Local Economies Program. We are very thankful that Metcalf chose to award this money to Connect Legal. This funding will enable us to work across the GTA to support community efforts to build economic resiliency.

---

Download Our Letters of Endorsement from Community Partners

• Chinese Professionals Association of Canada (CPAC)
• The YMCA of Greater Toronto
• The Canadian Youth Business Foundation
• The Learning Enrichment Foundation

---

Connect Legal is a Cities of Migration Good Idea

Read about how Connect Legal improves small business outcomes with its pro bono legal services and educational workshops. Click here to read.