Category Innovative Partnerships and Collaborations

Annual Conference Aims to Promote Canadian Leadership in AI and Tech for Justice

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The 2025 Autonomy through Cyberjustice Technologies (ACT) Partnership Conference aims to bring attention to Canada’s leadership in artificial intelligence and technological innovation in the justice system. The ACT conference is an annual gathering that has taken place since 2018. It is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and brings together dozens of partners and stakeholders representing all areas of the justice system.

This year’s ACT Conference includes panels and presentations on the following themes:

  • Legal Contestability and Scientific Falsifiability in AI Decision-Making
  • Regulating AI in the Justice Sector (The Regulatory Reflex)
  • Experimenting with AI Technologies to Enhance Judicial Actors’ Autonomy
  • Lessons to Improve Practices of Justice Stakeholders
  • Young Researchers: AI & Tech, Justice and Politics

The 2025 ACT Conference takes place from October 15-16, 2025, in Montreal. Information about Conference is available online here: https://www.ajcact.org/en/conference-2025/program/. Additional details about the ACT Project are available here: https://www.ajcact.org/en.

UK Ministry of Justice Publishes AI Action Plan for Justice

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The UK Ministry of Justice has published a first-of-its-kind document which lays out a plan to “harness the power of AI to transform the public’s experience” of the justice system in England and Wales. The Ministry of Justice’s AI Action Plan for Justice seeks to present a proportionate approach to AI adoption across courts, tribunals, prisons, probation and supporting services, noting the potential of AI to make justice more accessible, fairer, and faster.

The AI Action Plan outlines three priorities:

  • Strengthen our foundations
  • Embed AI across the justice system
  • Invest in our people and partners

In developing the AI Action Plan for Justice, the Ministry of Justice consulted the judiciary and legal services regulators.

The AI Action Plan for Justice is available online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-action-plan-for-justice/ai-action-plan-for-justice.

Healthcare Based Housing Initiative Set to Launch at Toronto’s University Hospital Network

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According to a 2021 Statistics Canada report, more than 235,000 people in Canada experience homelessness in a given year. Research from the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice (CFCJ) confirms connections between everyday legal problems and costs to the basic security of individuals in terms of loss of employment and loss of housing. Research further shows that factors such as access to safe, good quality housing can have significant impacts on the health of individuals and populations.

Social determinants of health – the understanding that housing, income, and food security are critical components of a health society – are central to a new initiative by Toronto’s University Health Network (UHN). UHN is now close to completing Toronto’s first community of supportive housing units, which includes more than 50 units. UHN clinicians will be able to prescribe housing to patients who do not have housing or who are in unstable living situations, with the potential that patients may live in one of these units. UHN also aims to provide residents with access to community support workers. Rent payments for residents were determined considering that many may be Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) recipients or otherwise have a limited income.

Information about this initiative was gleaned from “This Ontario hospital network is prescribing housing to patients-and building homes on its property” by Kevin Smith, published in Maclean’s Magazine (October 10, 2023): https://macleans.ca/society/health/prescriptive-housing-uhn/.

To learn more about social adversity and everyday legal problems, see Social and Economic Adversity Experienced by Canadians and Everyday Legal Problems by Ab Currie and Lisa Moore: https://cfcj-fcjc.org/wp-content/uploads/Social-and-Economic-Adversity-Experienced-by-Canadians-and-Everyday-Legal-Problems-Ab-Currie-Lisa-Moore.pdf.

To learn more about multidisciplinary legal problem resolution, see Crossing Boundaries: Exploring Multi-Disciplinary Models for Legal Problem Resolution by Lisa Moore: https://cfcj-fcjc.org/wp-content/uploads/Crossing-Boundaries-Exploring-Multi-Disciplinary-Models-for-Legal-Problem-Resolution-by-Lisa-Moore.pdf.

New Research Collection Explores Costs and Benefits of Community-Based Justice

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The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice (CFCJ) has announced the publication of a series of reports and other research publications that examine the costs and benefits of community-based justice initiatives globally. The research stems from a collaborative, multi-country, multi-year study with research teams at the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice in Canada, the Centre for Community Justice and Development in South Africa, the Centre for Alternative Policy Research and Innovation in Sierra Leone, and the Katiba Institute in Kenya.

The main objectives of the Community-Based Justice Research (CBJR) project were:

(1)          Identify and assess the costs to justice seekers and providers of locally accessible justice services relative to the outcomes of these justice services; and,

(2)          Based on research insights, explore the potential to better support and scale community-based justice programs for broader impacts.

The project has resulted in a rich collection of reports, papers, blogs and other resources, including:

View the full CBJR research collection on the CFCJ website here: https://cfcj-fcjc.org/our-projects/community-based-justice-research-cbjr/.

The Community-Based Justice Research project was funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Study on the Costs and Benefits of Community-Based Justice in Sierra Leone Makes Important Recommendations for Scaling Up Community Justice Services

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On average, it costs users of local, paralegal services in Sierra Leone US $8.44 to access the service, far below what it costs to access the formal justice system. According to a new report on the Costs and Benefits of Community-Based Justice in Sierra Leone, without these community-based justice services, the government would spend approximately US $23.3M to support access to justice services through the formal justice system. This compares with approximately US $18.3M to access community-based justice services. This is among several important findings from a first-of-its-kind study by the Center for Alternative Policy Research & Innovation on The Costs and Benefits of Community-Based Justice in Sierra Leone.

The report makes 10 recommendations for scaling up paralegal-based justice services, including:

  • Establishing a National Legal Empowerment Fund;
  • Funding exploratory research;
  • Further reducing out-of-pocket costs to access community-based justice services;
  • Meaningfully integrating community-based justice services in the broader justice sector; and
  • Building robust and efficient monitoring and evaluation systems.

The Costs and Benefits of Community-Based Justice in Sierra Leone by Felix Marco Conteh, Yakama Manty Jones, Sonkita Conteh, Henry Mbawa and Aisha Fofana Ibrahim (CAPRI) is available online here: https://www.caprisl.org/post/the-costs-and-benefits-of-community-based-justice-in-sierra-leone.

This project was funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and is one of the final research outputs from a multi-country research initiative on Community-Based Justice Research.

Project to Assess Unbundled Legal Services Publishes Phase 1 Report

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The Family Law Unbundled Legal Services Research Project (ULSRP) is an initiative by the Access to Justice BC Unbundling Working Group, Family Justice Innovation Lab Society, and Standpoint Decisions Inc. which seeks to examine the effectiveness of family unbundled legal services. The project also aims to “facilitate access to justice by enhancing the working relationships between the existing community of [unbundled legal services] providers and BC citizens most in need of unbundled-type services.”

The project is being conducted in two phases, with the focus of Phase 1 to test and demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of a proposed model for ongoing feedback from unbundled legal services clients. Data collected from this project will help service providers, innovators and policy-makers to assess the effectiveness of unbundled family legal services and better understand the user/client experience. The final report from Phase 1 of the Family Law Unbundled Legal Services Research Project is available here: https://www.bcfamilyinnovationlab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ULSRP-Phase-1-Report-2021-12-08-File-No-2020-LLR-3552-no-financials.pdf.

New Study asks 10,000 Americans about their Experiences with Legal Problems

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A collaborative study by the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS) and the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL), and funded by the Bohemian Foundation asked 10,000 people across the U.S. about legal problems that they experienced within the past 4 years; how they resolved these problems; and the fairness of resolution outcomes.

The nationwide Justice Needs survey offers insight into experiences with more than a dozen legal problem types across a range of socio-demographic groups. The findings reveal disproportionate experiences of legal problems based on race, age, gender, income, ethnicity and other factors. The study also reveals that annually, 55 million Americans experience 260 million legal problems. Of the survey respondents who experienced at least one legal problem in the past four years, fewer than 50% reported that their problem had been completely resolved.

“Justice Needs and Satisfaction in the United States of America 2021: Legal Problems in Daily Life” by IAALS and HiiL is available online here: https://iaals.du.edu/projects/us-justice-needs.

CBA Report Examines Justice Issues Resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic

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A new report by the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) examines various impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery of legal services in Canada. The report is the result of consultations and research carried out by the specially formed CBA Task Force on Justice Issues Arising from COVID-19.

The “No Turning Back” report includes a discussion of the ways that Canada and other countries are meeting the justice challenges presented by the pandemic through modified processes and other justice system changes. The report also presents a discussion of ways to mitigate risks that might be associated with the adoption of new measures aimed at delivering justice in the midst of the pandemic.

No Turning Back: CBA Task Force Report on Justice Issues Arising from COVID-19 is available online here: https://www.cba.org/CBAMediaLibrary/cba_na/PDFs/Publications%20And%20Resources/2021/CBATaskForce.pdf.

New Book Examines What is Working and Not Working to Improve Access to Civil and Family Justice

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The Justice Crisis: The Cost and Value of Accessing Law edited by Trevor C.W. Farrow and Lesley A. Jacobs is a newly published book that provides an in-depth look at what is working and not working to improve access to civil and family justice in Canada.

The Justice Crisis uses new empirical research to explore the value associated with the provision of an effective justice system and the costs – individual and collective – of not providing accessible justice. The national and international importance of and the need for this kind of research is widely acknowledged.

Contributors to The Justice Crisis: The Cost and Value of Accessing Law include: Carolyn Carter, Thomas A. Cromwell, Ab Currie, Matthew Dylag, Trevor C.W. Farrow, Heather Heavin, Lesley A. Jacobs, Devon Kapoor, Michaela Keet, Jennifer Koshan, Herbert M. Kritzer, Moktar Lamari, Marylène Leduc, M. Jerry McHale, Lisa Moore, Janet Mosher, Pierre Noreau, Mitchell Perlmutter, Catherine Piché, Noel Semple, Lorne Sossin, Michael Trebilcock, Wanda Wiegers and David Wiseman.

The book’s foreword is written by The Honourable Thomas A. Cromwell, CC.

The Justice Crisis: The Cost and Value of Accessing Law is part of the 7-year Cost of Justice project led by the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice. The Cost of Justice project was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

The Justice Crisis: The Cost and Value of Accessing Law was published by UBC Press and is available here: www.ubcpress.ca/the-justice-crisis.

View the press release for The Justice Crisis: The Cost and Value of Accessing Law online here: https://news.yorku.ca/2020/09/02/new-evidence-on-the-justice-crisis-making-the-case-for-reform/.

Investing In Justice Saves More Money Than It Costs – New CFCJ Report

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The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice (CFCJ) has published a major report that examines the return on investment in access to justice in several regions, including North America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, Australia and Asia. The report concludes that, “across a diversity of justice programs, services and mechanisms around the world, spending on justice results in significant economic and other benefits that generally significantly exceed the value of the investment.” In most cases, the rate of return on investment in justice services and programs is between CAD $9 and $16 for every CAD $1 that is spent.

This new report is one of ten international background reports commissioned by the Task Force on Justice to help inform their efforts towards equal access to justice for all by 2030 (UN Sustainable Development Goal 16.3).

Investing in Justice – A Literature Review in Support of the Case for Improved Access is available for download on the CFCJ website here: https://cfcj-fcjc.org/wp-content/uploads/Investing-in-Justice-A-Literature-Review-in-Support-of-the-Case-for-Improved-Access-by-Lisa-Moore-and-Trevor-C-W-Farrow.pdf.