The paper examines the commonalities among poor people, including marginalization, dependence, the multidimensional and systemic nature of legal problems and impediments to seeking legal redress. It goes on to identify some of the many differences among poor people which arise out of race, gender, disability. It argues that legal aid schemes should be attentive to both the commonalities and specific needs of marginalized groups. The paper goes on to provide a brief historical overview of coverage of these areas of legal needs under the Ontario Legal Aid Plan. It then describes the clinic system in detail with particular attention to community governance and the importance of local community boards.