A recent report by the Law Society of Ontario’s Paralegal Standing Committee outlines proposed changes aimed at increasing access to justice options for appeals and judicial review.

The main change involves expanding the paralegal scope of activities to include certain appeals and judicial reviews before the Divisional Court. According to the report, if the Law Society were to adopt a change to the paralegal scope of activities, it would also need to create a training program on the expanded duties, which would be required for paralegals before they could represent clients before the Divisional Court.

The Law Society is seeking feedback on the proposed expansion of scope of activities, including what the scope of activities should include, as well other comments on the proposal. The Law Society of Ontario’s Increasing Access to Justice Options for Appeals and Judicial Reviews: Consultation Report, authored by The Paralegal Standing Committee of the Law Society of Ontario is available in English here: https://lawsocietyontario-dwd0dscmayfwh7bj.a01.azurefd.net/media/lso/media/about/convocation/2025/convocation-february-2025-paralegal-standing-committee-report.pdf.

Augmenter les options d’accès à la justice pour les appels et les révisions judiciaires : Rapport de consultation est disponible en français ici : https://lawsocietyontario-dwd0dscmayfwh7bj.a01.azurefd.net/media/lso/media/about/convocation/2025/convocation-february-2025-paralegal-standing-committee-report-fr.pdf.

Feedback will be gathered until 30 May 2025. To access the consultation form, or for more information in English, please visit the Law Society of Ontario website here: https://lso.ca/about-lso/initiatives/increasing-access-to-justice-options-for-appeals-a. For the French form, please visit: https://lso.ca/a-propos-du-barreau/initiatives/augmenter-les-options-d%E2%80%99acces-a-la-justice-pour-les-appels-et-les-revisions-judiciaires.