Eighth Annual Access to Justice Week Takes Place October 23 -27, 2023

The Action Group on Access to Justice (TAG) has published the schedule for the eighth annual Access to Justice Week. From October 23-27, 2023, legal experts, researchers, frontline workers, and other justice stakeholders will share their views and experiences on a range of subjects related to access to justice. The first panel of the week takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Monday, October 23rd. The panel will be on “Perspectives francophones sur les objectifs de l’accès à la justice”.

View the full schedule for Access to Justice Week 2023 here: https://lso.ca/theactiongroup/access-to-justice-week/schedule.

The schedule is available in English here: https://lso.ca/legroupedaction/semaine-de-l%E2%80%99acces-a-la-justice/calendrier.

International Forum to Explore Challenges and New Developments in Access to Civil Justice

The International Access to Justice Forum 2023, jointly organized by the University of California Irvine (UCI) Law Initiative for Inclusive Civil Justice and Victoria Law Foundation, will take place from October 11-13, 2023 at UCI Law. The international conference aims to bring together scholars, researchers, practitioners, and court and dispute resolution experts to share insights on new developments and discuss ongoing challenges in access to civil justice. Organizers invite presentations on a range of topics based in civil justice.  The deadline to submit proposals is May 31, 2023. Register for the International Access to Justice Forum by June 30, 2023.

For more information, or to submit a proposal, please visit: https://www.law.uci.edu/centers/iicj/activities/intl-access-to-justice/.

Access to Justice Week in BC is February 4 to 10, 2023

This year, Access to Justice Week in British Columbia will take place from Saturday, February 4 to Friday, February 10. The theme of this year’s event is “Access to Justice – Whose Job is it Anyway?” Events scheduled for Access to Justice Week BC include:

  • Youth Leaders in Law: National Conference 2023 (Saturday, February 4)
    During this event, high school and undergraduate students interested in law school will hear from a panel of law school professors and legal counsel. Attendees will also have an opportunity to meet and speak with panelists and law students. This event will be available via Zoom.
  • Access to Justice Issues in BC’s Family Law System (Monday, February 6)
    This panel will highlight recent research on access to justice issues in BC’s family law system and explore the importance of people-centred design. 

There will be two events on Tuesday, February 7: Understanding and Creating Access to Justice (in-person session) and Access to Justice: Whose Job is it Anyway?

Other events include:

Wednesday, February 8
Event 1: Neurodiversity in Law
Event 2: Youth Leaders in law Virtual Speed Networking

Thursday, February 9
Event 1: Justice for Everyone: Developing New Lawyers in the Public Interest
Event 2: Friends of the Court and Access to Justice

Friday, February 10
Event 1: Innovating to Create Market-Based Solutions
Event 2: Drug Treatment Court – Specialized Approaches

For information on whether events can be attended remotely or in-person, and for the full description of Access to Justice Week BC events, including information on panelists, visit the Access to Justice Week BC website: https://accesstojusticebc.ca/a2jweekbc/.

Annual Access to Justice Week to Focus on Using Data to Address Legal Needs

The seventh annual Access to Justice Week will run from October 24 to 28, 2022. This year’s event will feature a series of workshops and presentations on the theme, “Access to Justice Counts: Using Data to Address the Legal Needs of Canadians”. The full schedule is now available. The public is invited to learn more by visiting the event website and register to attend events, which will take place virtually: https://lso.ca/theactiongroup/access-to-justice-week.

Access to Justice Week in Manitoba is October 24-28, 2022

Events for the third annual Access to Justice Week in Manitoba will run from October 24-28, 2022. The event will feature important conversations around access to justice in Manitoba and across Canada, including a presentation from Justice Canada representative, Susan McDonald on October 25 on People-Centered Data Collection. Access to Justice Week in Manitoba is being hosted jointly by the Manitoba Bar Association and the University of Manitoba.

For more information about Access to Justice Week, including the calendar of events, visit: https://lawsociety.mb.ca/access-to-justice-week-event-people-centred-data-collection-october-25-2022/.

Indigenous Access to Civil Justice – Global Conference

The Indigenous Access to Civil Justice Global Conference seeks to collectively identify and broadly mobilize what access to civil justice means for Indigenous people in postcolonial and settler colonial settings. Bringing together diverse scholars from across the globe, this conference will constructively unsettle conventional legal approaches to civil justice; build community; and enrich emergent access to justice innovations across jurisdictions and geographies. Presentation proposals are being accepted until October 14, 2022.

Who can apply?

Researchers, in or beyond the academy, whose work explores the interface between Indigenous experiences, identities, laws, and/or courts and access to civil justice. We welcome proposals on these or other related themes:

  • Conceptualizations of access and justice in Indigenous legal systems
  • Cross-jurisdictional access to justice challenges and collaborative possibilities
  • Tribal sovereignty and access to justice
  • The role of community paralegals, tribal lay advocates, and other non-lawyer actors
  • Place and spatial justice, including housing, climate change, and land/property rights
  • The health and wellbeing impacts of justice gaps in Indigenous communities
  • Evidence-based practices
  • Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and family law
  • Tribal, customary and peacemaking courts, restorative justice, and other justice forums
  • Indigenous research methodologies and access to justice
  • Responsible data, technology, and information exchange
  • Implementing and evaluating Indigenous access to justice initiatives in tribal and non-tribal court settings

Research exploring these topics from any jurisdiction and geography is welcome, as is comparative research.

How do I apply to participate?

Submit a one-page proposal describing your project.  This proposal should make clear:

  1. Your research question
  2. An overview of the data you will use or have access to
  3. The relationship of the project to the goals of the conference

Proposals should be submitted to indigenousa2jconf@gmail.com. Individuals will be notified by November 16, 2022 if their submission has been accepted.

Is there a registration fee?

There is no registration fee for the conference. Limited travel scholarships will be available and will be prioritized for participants who would not otherwise be able to attend.

Organizing Team

The conference is organized by Matthew Burnett (American Bar Foundation), Lisa Moore (Canadian Forum on Civil Justice), Rebecca Sandefur (Chickasaw Nation; Arizona State University and American Bar Foundation), and Michele Statz (University of Minnesota).

Questions? Email indigenousa2jconf@gmail.com.

To download a copy of the call for proposals, visit: https://ajrn.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/indigenous-access-to-civil-justice-cfp.pdf.

Access to Justice Week in BC to take place February 7-11, 2022

The next Access to Justice Week BC is February 7-11. BC’s Access to Justice Week is designed to “offer information and learning opportunities about access to justice in British Columbia.” Legal sector analyst, Jordan Furlong will give this year’s keynote event on February 9 on “Redefining Competencies for the 21st Century Lawyer”. For more information about events taking place at law schools across BC and online for Access to Justice Week BC, visit: http://www.a2jweekbc.ca/ or follow @a2jweekbc on Twitter for updat”es.

BC First Nations Justice Council To Hold Virtual Grand Opening For Indigenous Justice Centres

On the heels of the recent announcement by federal Minister of Justice, David Lametti, and Attorney General for BC, David Eby regarding the signing of a tripartite memorandum of understanding to support the implementation of the BC First Nations Justice Strategy, and funding to support Indigenous Justice Centres in British Columbia, the BC First Nations Justice Council has announced a virtual grand opening to celebrate the launch of four new Indigenous Justice Centres.

The BC First Nations Justice Council, which seeks to support the well-being of future generations by upholding self-determination, reclaiming Indigenous legal traditions, and addressing systemic injustice invites the public to attend the grand opening on Wednesday, January 26 to learn about the new Indigenous Justice Centres. The event will take place at 11:00 am PST / 2:00 pm EST.

To register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/bc-first-nations-justice-council-tickets-208242969327.

Events Planned for Duty Counsel Day on 27 October

Canadians rely on duty counsel to help navigate the justice system. They play an important role in facilitating access to justice in Canada.

Duty Counsel Day is a national, virtual event that will take place on October 27th from 5-6pm ET/2-3 pm PT.

Here are some ways that you can participate in Duty Counsel Day:

  1. Encourage staff to register for the nationwide online event: www.knowdutycounsel.ca/event
  2. Share your personal video greeting during Access to Justice Week (Oct. 25-29): https://youtu.be/J8ODcKC2jO0
  3. Post on social media (here are some sample posts to make things easy):

“Every Canadian deserves help navigating the justice system. Celebrate our charter right to legal support. I’m taking part in Duty Counsel Day Oct 27. Please join me at the nationwide online event www.knowdutycounsel.ca #a2j

« Chaque Canadienne et Canadien devrait pouvoir progresser dans le système de justice. Célébrez notre droit à l’aide juridique conféré par notre Charte. Je participerai à la Journée des avocats de service qui aura lieu le 27 octobre. Joignez-vous, dans tout le pays, à cet événement qui se déroulera en ligne. https://avocatsdeservicealaune.ca/

You can also download social media images for Duty Counsel Day.

For more information on Duty Counsel Day, please visit: https://www.knowdutycounsel.ca/ or https://avocatsdeservicealaune.ca/.

Federal Court of Appeal and Federal Court Mark 50 Years

This year marks 50 years since the founding of Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal and the Federal Court. To recognize the 50th anniversary, the Courts held a virtual celebration earlier this summer, on June 1st. During the commemoration ceremony, Federal Court Chief Justice, Paul Crampton noted that the Federal Courts’ founding was grounded in a desire for a “just society” and the notion that the Federal Court could play an important role in realizing that goal.

To mark 50 years, the Federal Court of Appeal and the Federal Court will also be publishing a book that showcases past work of the Courts and goals for the future. There will be a formal, virtual book launch on October 1, 2021 and 3 follow-up webinars on October 29th (Immigration), November 26th (National Security), and December 10th (Intellectual Property). To register for these events, visit: https://www.nji-inm.ca/index.cfm/publications/public-resources/fca-fc-50th-anniversary-events/.

A recording of the commemoration ceremony is available online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS46flYYgBg.

Chief Justice Paul Crampton’s speech is available on the Federal Court website: https://www.fct-cf.gc.ca/en/pages/media/speeches#cont.

Details in the post are from the Federal Court’s announcement published here: https://www.fct-cf.gc.ca/Content/assets/pdf/base/2021-07-30-50th-anniversary-video.pdf.