Data on PLEI needs were collected through a series of 12 discussion or focus groups. The groups focused on seven different population sectors: youth, elderly, low-income people, aboriginal people, members of visible minorities, immigrant women, and working women. Awareness of the impact and importance of the law in everyday life was quite high among group participants. The level of awareness varied according to the participants' range of personal experiences. Areas of law most commonly cited included family law, employment standards, landlord and tenant law, and human rights. Less frequently mentioned were consumer rights and criminal law. Wide variations were observed in awareness of beneficial laws or mechanisms to resolve legal problems. Participants identified the legal nature of problems in areas such as immigration, tenancy disputes, unresolved family maintenance situations, and apprehension by the police for suspected wrongdoing. Although most participants said the law treated average Canadians fairly, very few saw themselves as average. Many individuals and groups had a cynical view of the administration of justice, and many assumed there was corruption in the court system. Legal knowledge of participants tended to be spotty and often inaccurate. Immigrants and low-income working women had the most experience in searching for and using various legal information services. Native people and low-income people appeared to have the greatest need for legal information and assistance.