Category Conferences

International Access to Justice Conference – Call for Proposals

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Osgoode Hall Law School of York University is pleased to announce that the 2024 International Access to Justice Forum (IA2J Forum) will take place at Osgoode Professional Development, in downtown Toronto, Canada, from October 23-25, 2024.

For those interested in presenting at the conference, the submission portal (https://machformext.osgoode.yorku.ca/machform/view.php?id=365881) is now open for proposals. Please note that all presenters must plan to attend the conference in person.

We invite presentations from scholars; researchers; legal practitioners; court, tribunal, and dispute resolution staff; and other legal service providers from around the world on a range of topics relating to access to civil justice. Topics of particular interest include the following:

New data or empirical analysis regarding the prevalence of civil legal problems, perceptions or understandings of legal matters, or behavior taken in response to justiciable events;
Legal professional regulatory reform, alternative legal service providers, and innovative legal service partnerships;
The role of legal technology in enhancing access to justice;
Access to justice in the face of climate change, global conflict, and economic change;
Interventions and approaches to enhance equality in access to civil justice for underserved groups;
Research regarding the outcomes and impacts of legal services, or the return on investment regarding the delivery of legal services; and
The place of access to justice in legal education.

Those interested in presenting should submit a brief abstract (no more than 3,000 characters) that clearly identifies the proposed topic and summarizes key findings or lessons. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Deadline for Submissions: May 31, 2024 (11:59 pm ET)

Conference Co-Chairs:
Dean Trevor Farrow, Professor Suzanne Chiodo, and Professor Patricia McMahon,
Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.

Questions may be directed to:
Erika Robinson (erobinson@osgoode.yorku.ca), Research Events & Communications Coordinator, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.

Virtual Event to Highlight Strategies and Collaborative Efforts for Enhancing Access to Justice Globally

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On Tuesday, March 19, 2024, the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will host the 3rd Summit for Democracy. The event, which takes place in South Korea, seeks to highlight “innovative strategies and collaborative efforts in strengthening the people-centered rule of law and enhancing access to justice globally, with a view to strengthening democratic resilience”.

Among the event’s intended objectives are:

  • To showcase successful policies and practices that have been implemented to strengthen the people-centred rule of law and improve access to justice across countries
  • To facilitate a dialogue among policymakers, legal practitioners, civil society representatives, and international organisations on current challenges and opportunities in promoting people-centricity in the rule of law and justice for all.
  • To identify priority areas for international cooperation and partnership to further advance people-centred justice and the rule of law on a global scale.

Participants can join the event online. The event is scheduled to begin at 7:00 a.m. (EST) / 20:00 (KST) / 12:00 (CET). For more information, or to register, please visit: https://www.sdg16.plus/events/strengthening-the-rule-of-law-and-access-to-justice-for-healthy-democracies/.

Information about this event was taken from a news release about the event.

Request for Proposals for the Self-Represented Litigation Network Conference

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The U.S.-based Self-Represented Litigation Network (SRLN) has published a request for proposals for a conference, taking place in Salt Lake City, Utah from September 18-20, 2024.

The 2024 Conference is being held in collaboration with the Utah State Courts, the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah and the Stanford Law School Legal Design Lab. From September 18 to 20, lawyers, judges, clerks of court and court administrators, self-help services professionals, librarians, technologists, funders, and other allied professionals are invited to explore and develop strategies for improving access to justice. The SRLN’s global membership includes more than 2,900 individuals and organizations, representing more than 20 countries. Justice stakeholders are invited to submit a proposal by April 8 to ensure that their jurisdiction and perspectives are represented at the fall conference: https://www.srln.org/node/1608/srln-2024-conference-utah.

International Access to Justice Forum to be Held in October 2024

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The International Access to Justice Forum 2024 will bring together a diverse group of scholars, practitioners, policy makers and court and dispute resolution experts to discuss exciting new developments and ongoing challenges in access to justice.

Building on the rich legacy of previous conferences, we anticipate engaging discussions, inspiring presentations, and enriching cross-border dialogue. We welcome your participation, whether as an in-person presenter, attendee, or member of the online audience.

The International Access to Forum will be hosted by Osgoode Hall Law School at York University from October 23-25, 2025.

To be notified about the call for proposals and registration, visit: https://signup.e2ma.net/signup/1997018/5757/.

Access to Justice Week BC Offers Opportunity to Engage with A2J Movement in BC and Beyond

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Access to Justice Week BC will take place from February 5 to 9, 2024. The week’s event lineup includes panels centered on advancing the justice system through people-centered perspectives.

Events planned under this year’s theme, “What does People-Centered Justice Look Like?” include:

Monday, February 5
Author discussion of Indictment: The Criminal Justice System on Trial
Speaker: Benjamin Perrin, UBC Allard Law Professor 

Tuesday, February 6
The Intersection between Restorative Justice and Person-Centered Justice
Speaker: Dr. Alana Abramson, KPU Criminology Instructor, Trainer & Consultant

Bridging the Gap:  Access to Justice by Van and Boat
Speakers:
Ab Currie, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow, Canadian Forum on Civil Justice
Anne Fletcher, Founder and Legal Advocate, Bella Coola Legal Advocacy Program
Moderator: Lindsay Frame, CBABC Access to Justice Committee / Litigation Associate, McCarthy Tetrault

Finding Justice: Challenges and Opportunities in BC’s Legal Aid Landscape
Speakers:
Aleem Bharmal, KC, Community Legal Assistance Society
Michael Bryant, CEO, Legal Aid BC
Wendy Jackson, Executive Director of Legal Access Policy Division, Ministry of Attorney General
Amanda Carling, CEO, BC First Nations Justice Council
Moderator: Lee Nevens, First Vice President, Canadian Bar Association – BC Branch

Wednesday, February 7
Legal Education and Professional Competencies: What the Access to Justice Lawyer Needs to Know
Speakers:
Hon. Associate Chief Justice Susan Wishart, BC Provincial Court
Robert Lapper, KC, UVic Law Professor
Chris Heslinga, Director, UVic Law Centre

Thursday, February 8
Designing a Person-Centred Family Justice System
Speakers: TBA

Friday, February 9
Gendered Aspects of Legal Aid
Speakers:
Lindsay Tedds, Associate Professor, Economics, University of Calgary
Gillian Petit, Senior Researcher, Economics, University of Calgary
Monique Pongracic-Speier, KC, Partner, Ethos Law

Youth Legal Needs and the Current Youth-Service Landscape in BC
Speakers:
Rachel Getz, first year law student at Thompson Rivers University School of Law
Avneet Sandhu, first year law student at the University of Victoria School of Law
Keegan Nicol, first year law student at UBC’s Peter A. Allard School of Law
Tina Parbhakar, Strategic Coordinator, Access to Justice BC

Youth Leaders in Law Virtual Speed Networking with Alberta & BC Law Students

The full Access to Justice Week BC schedule is available online here: https://accesstojusticebc.ca/a2jweekbc/.

Access to Justice Week in Alberta is February 5-9, 2024

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Save the date for Alberta’s Access to Justice Week. From February 5-9, 2024, justice sector members and stakeholders will gather to discuss access-to-justice issues impacting Albertans. While planning is still underway, events could include report launches, keynote lectures, fundraisers, conferences or mini-conferences, townhalls and more.

The theme of Alberta’s Access to Justice Week 2024 is Promoting Pro Bono. Scheduled events currently include: “Making the Most of Pro Bono”, presented by the Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch on February 6, “Collaborative Approaches to Access to Justice: Exploring the Benefits of Articling Students Volunteering in Pro Bono Clinics”, presented by Edmonton Community Legal Centre (ECLC) on February 8, and “A Conversation with Mickey Amery, Alberta Minister of Justice”, presented by the Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch on February 9.

For more information, visit: https://www.albertaaccesstojustice.com/.

To volunteer, discuss an event idea, or to get involved in other ways, visit: https://www.albertaaccesstojustice.com/about.html. Use #A2JWeekCan to follow the conversation on social media.

U.S. Conference to Explore Access to Justice and the Future of Justice Work

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The Access to Justice and the Future of Justice Work Conference will bring together scholars, policy makers, advocates, and frontline workers to explore the future of justice work and justice workers in the United States in view of new technologies, regulatory reform, public education, capacity building and training, and with the use of tools for research, advocacy, litigation, and program design and implementation. The conference will be a space for conversation and the exchange of ideas and knowledge on people’s justice experiences, pathways that advance just solutions to everyday legal problem experiences, new kinds of justice workers, and democratizing access to justice.

The Access to Justice and the Future of Justice Work Conference will take place at Arizona State University (Tempe campus) from February 28 – March 1, 2024. There is no fee to register. For more information, visit: https://na.eventscloud.com/website/62078/home/.

Access to Justice Organizations Collaborating on Person-Centred Justice, Change & Connection Workshop

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The Access to Justice Centre for Excellence at the University of Victoria Faculty of Law (ACE) and McGill University’s Faculty of Law in collaboration with the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice (CFCJ) and CREATE Justice at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law will be hosting a hybrid workshop on Person-Centred Justice, Change, and Connection at McGill University’s Faculty of Law from May 24-25, 2024 (the 2024 PCJ Workshop). Proposals are welcome from researchers, graduate students, and practitioners on themes related to access to justice and person-centred justice, including works and projects which challenge or expand understandings of the field through empirical, critical, or pluralistic lenses. The deadline to submit proposals is January 19, 2024.

The 2024 PCJ Workshop will build on the excellent discussions and scholarly exchanges that took place at the inaugural Person-Centred Justice workshop held at York University on May 29, 2023 and subsequent (forthcoming 2024) contributions to a special issue of the Canadian Journal of Law and Society on Person-Centred Justice. The workshop will be an opportunity to build connections between scholars, researchers, practitioners and other access to justice stakeholders across Canada; it will also facilitate the development of scholarly works for publication in journals that accept submissions on the themes of access to justice and person-centred justice such as the Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice (see submission guidelines). Finally, the 2024 PCJ Workshop will also support preparation for the upcoming International Access to Justice Forum to be held in Toronto in fall of 2024 in a friendly, collaborative and supportive atmosphere.

The 2024 PCJ Workshop will be held in a fully hybrid format, with a focus on virtual presenters on May 24th and in-person presenters on May 25th. Presenters will be arranged into panels based on themes that emerge from submissions to encourage new connections. In support of the 2024 PCJ Workshop, ACE and its partners are seeking the support of SSHRC through a Connections Grant. If ACE and its partners are successful in gaining Connections Grant funding, financial support will be available to:

  1. Provide travel support funding for participants that express a need for funding to attend in- person, such as graduate students and practitioners – priority will be given to those who apply by January 10, 2024;
  2. Provide simultaneous and documentary English/French translation to support bilingual proceedings at the 2024 PCJ Workshop; and
  3. Provide guidance and support for the publication and dissemination of research through avenues such as blog posts, social media channels, and scholarly journals.

Those interested in submitting an abstract (maximum 250 words) are asked to fill out the following online form by January 19, 2024: English Version | Version française

Inquiries about the event can be directed to: kaitlyncumming@gmail.com

Download a copy of the Call for Proposals here: https://ajrn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/call-for-proposals-appel-a-participation-2024-pcj-workshop.pdf.

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Appel à propositions
Atelier hybride sur la justice axée sur la personne, le changement et les connexions Faculté de droit de l’Université McGill | 24 et 25 mai 2024

Le Centre d’excellence pour l’accès à la justice de la Faculté de droit de l’Université de Victoria (ACE) et la Faculté de droit de l’Université McGill en collaboration avec le Forum canadien sur la justice civile (FCJC) et CREATE Justice du Collège de droit de l’Université de Saskatchewan, a le plaisir d’annoncer qu’il organisera un atelier hybride sur la justice axée sur la personne, le changement et les connexions à la Faculté de droit de l’Université McGill les 24 et 25 mai 2024 (l’atelier JAP 2024). Nous invitons les chercheuses et chercheurs, les étudiant·es aux cycles supérieurs et les praticien·ne·s à soumettre des propositions sur des thèmes liés à l’accès à la justice et à la justice axée sur la personne, y compris des travaux et des projets qui remettent en question ou élargissent la compréhension du domaine à l’aide d’approches empiriques, critiques ou pluralistes. La date limite de soumission des propositions est le 19 janvier 2024.

L’atelier JAP 2024 construira sur le fondement des excellentes discussions et des échanges scientifiques qui ont eu lieu lors de l’atelier inaugural sur la justice axée sur la personne qui s’est tenu à l’Université York le 29 mai 2023 et sur les contributions ultérieures (dont la publication est à venir en 2024) à un numéro spécial de la Revue canadienne droit et société portant sur la justice axée sur la personne. L’atelier sera l’occasion d’établir des liens entre les universitaires, les chercheuses et chercheurs, les praticien·ne·s et d’autres acteurs de l’accès à la justice de partout au Canada; il facilitera également l’élaboration de travaux universitaires destinés à être publiés dans des revues qui acceptent des articles sur les thèmes de l’accès à la justice et de la justice axée sur la personne, telles que le Recueil annuel de Windsor d’accès à la justice (voir leurs lignes directrices pour les soumissions). Enfin, l’atelier JAP 2024 soutiendra également, dans une atmosphère amicale, de collaboration et de soutien, les préparatifs en vue du Forum international sur l’accès à la justice qui se tiendra à Toronto en automne 2024.

L’atelier JAP 2024 se déroulera de façon entièrement hybride, avec un accent sur les présentateurs virtuels le 24 mai et sur les présentateurs en personne le 25 mai. Les présentateurs seront répartis en panels en fonction des thèmes qui émergeront des soumissions afin d’encourager de nouvelles connexions. Pour soutenir l’atelier JAP 2024, ACE et ses partenaires sollicitent présentement le soutien du CRSH par le biais d’une Subvention Connexion. Si ACE et ses partenaires réussissent à obtenir ce financement, un soutien financier sera disponible pour :

  1. Fournir du financement pour les déplacements des participant·es qui en expriment le besoin pour assister à l’atelier en personne, tels que les étudiant·es aux cycles supérieurs et les praticien·ne·s – La priorité sera donnée à ceux qui auront déposé leur soumission avant le 10 janvier 2024;
  2. Fournir une traduction simultanée et documentaire de l’anglais au français et vice-versa, afin de permettre que l’atelier JAP 2024 se déroule dans les deux langues; et
  3. Fournir des conseils aux participant·es en soutenant la publication et la diffusion de la recherche par des moyens tels que des articles de blog, des médias sociaux et des revues académiques.

Les personnes intéressées à soumettre un résumé de leur contribution (250 mots maximum) sont priées de remplir le formulaire électronique suivant avant le 19 janvier 2024 : Version française | English Version

Les questions concernant l’événement peuvent être adressées à: kaitlyncumming@gmail.com

Public Legal Education Association of Canada Annual Conference Takes Place October 25–26, 2023

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The Public Legal Education Association of Canada (PLEAC), the national umbrella organization for public legal education and information (PLEI) groups across Canada, will hold their annual conference this year in Toronto from October 25th to 26th.

The conference will include workshops, plenaries, and townhall sessions on a range of topics, including: “The Role of Community Workers and Other Trusted Helpers in the Justice Ecosystem”, “Artificial Intelligence: How to Harness it (for good) for Public Legal Education”, and “Advocating for Better Justice: Does Public Legal Education Have a Role?”

Attendance is capped at 150 people.

To learn more about the conference, how to register, conference fees and more, visit the PLEAC website here: https://www.pleac-aceij.ca/our-work/annual-conference/.

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

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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/.