Category International

Virtual New York-Based Conference to focus on AI, A2J and Law School

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New York State’s Permanent Commission on Access to Justice is collaborating with Fordham University’s School of Law for a conference on artificial intelligence, access to justice, and law school. “Let’s Talk AI and A2J: How Law Schools, Civil Legal Services, and the Courts Together Can Harness Technology to Address the Justice Gap” will take place on Thursday, April 11, 2024, from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET via Zoom. This virtual conference is free to attend. The deadline to register is Friday, April 5.

The (in-progress) conference agenda is available online here: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/accesstojusticecommission/ls/2024agenda.shtml. For more information about the conference, please visit: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/accesstojusticecommission/ls2024.

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.

UK Law Commission Report Explores Benefits of Law Reforms for Economy and Society

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A recently published UK Law Commission report provides an update from 2019 to 2023 of the benefits for the economy and society derived from law reforms.

The report identifies efficiency gains, technology driven growth, harm prevention, well-being improvement, rule of law, access to justice, modernising the legal system, and thought leadership as outcomes of the Law Commission’s projects. The report also confirms benefits for the economy valued at £670 million over 10 years, and the potential for positive impacts for more than 5 million people and over 75% of households from the implementation of other initiatives.

In addition to details on the Law Commission’s outputs, and how the impacts of the Law Commissions reforms are measured, the report also includes recommendations for further research.

The Law Commission’s “Value of Law Reform: Update” report is available in English and Welsh here: https://lawcom.gov.uk/document/the-value-of-law-reform/.

Information for this post was gleaned from the Law Commission report.

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/.

UK Law Society Examining How People Think About the Rule of Law and Access to Justice

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The Law Society of England and Wales is working with FrameWorks UK on a “Reframing Justice” project that examines how people understand and think about the rule of law and access to justice, and what impacts people’s perceptions of law and justice. The Year One project report provides an overview of: research carried out during the first year of the project (including interviews, workshops, and surveys); how experts in the field think about the rule of law and access to justice; how the public thinks about the rule of law and access to justice; and, initial recommendations.

Reframing Justice: Year One Summary by Tamsyn Hyatt is available here: https://frameworksuk.org/resources/rule-of-law-access-to-justice/.

Other research reports from this project include The Rule of Law and Access to Justice: Core Ideas from the Field of Law and Justice by Tamsyn Hyatt and Kate Stanley: https://frameworksuk.org/resources/rule-of-law-access-to-justice/ and How are Advocates Talking about the Rule of Law and Access to Justice?: A Field Frame Analysis by Tamsyn Hyatt and Patrick O’Shea: https://frameworksuk.org/resources/how-are-advocates-talking-about-the-rule-of-law-and-access-to-justice-a-field-frame-analysis/.

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/.

Policy Brief Examines the Justice Gap and Budget-Based Justice Work

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A new policy brief examines how “access to justice for all will remain elusive unless justice experts begin to evaluate and address the fiscal dimensions of the justice gap”.

The “Justice Gap and the Budget Black Hole” policy brief examines the benefits of results-based budgeting models and performance-oriented budgets for connecting budgets to substantive social justice agendas. The policy brief highlights lessons from gender budgeting, human rights budgeting, equality and well-being budgeting, and green budgeting that could be helpful for justice budgeting. In considering the role of budgets in shaping social outcomes, it is important to look beyond traditional justice services, explore empirical research on what works to meet people’s justice needs, examine which populations are underserved by current investments, and look at how other disciplines and sectors promote or deny justice. The brief urges more data on public and private investment in justice services and the return and benefits of investing in justice.

“The Justice Gap and the Budget Black Hole: Promoting Justice for All through Budget-Based Work” was prepared by Gustavo Maurino. The policy brief was commissioned by Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies.

To access the policy brief in English, please visit: https://cic.nyu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/The-Justice-Gap-and-the-Budget-Black-Hole-2023.pdf.

Report Provides Global Perspective on People-Centered Access to Justice Research

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The U.S.-based Justice Observatory has published a report examining the contexts for which people-centered justice research has been conducted in different jurisdictions, the data that is currently available, and the kinds of questions and contexts that are underexplored or unexplored.

The report explores country characteristics relevant to people’s justice experiences and includes insights from global informant interviews on context, knowledge gaps, and important findings in the people-centered justice research space. The report also includes information on relevant literature on people-centered justice.

People Centered Access to Justice Research: A Global Perspective by Rebecca L. Sandefur, Matthew Burnett and Julia Dos Santos Drummond is available online here: https://www.americanbarfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/People-Centered-Access-to-Justice-Research-A-Global-Perspective.pdf.

New American Bar Association Report Highlights Gaps in Access to Legal Assistance in Rural Areas

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The American Bar Association (ABA) recently published is fifth annual Profile of the Legal Profession report. The 2023 report marks the first time that the ABA report examines access to civil legal aid in the U.S.

Key findings in the 2023 Profile of the Legal Profession Report include the following:

  • There are more than 10,000 paid civil legal aid lawyers across the country, but significant differences exist among states and even within states.
  • Even accounting for differences in population and poverty rates, some states have many legal aid lawyers per 10,000 residents in poverty (for example, New York, Minnesota and Maine) and some have few (for example, Mississippi, Arizona and Georgia).
  • New York City alone has more than 1,000 paid legal aid lawyers — roughly one-tenth of the nation’s total, even though it has less than 3% of the nation’s population.
  • Rural towns and counties have roughly half the number of legal aid lawyers per capita than urbanized cities.

The report also provides insights on pro bono services, legal education, wages, demographics in the legal profession, judges, well-being, technology and women in the legal profession.

The 2023 American Bar Association Profile of the Legal Profession report is available online here: https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/news/2023/potlp-2023.pdf.