Category Jurisdiction

Self-Represented Litigants: Alberta Lawyers and Judges Surveyed

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Little empirical research has been done to assess the effect of increased self-representation on lawyers and the judiciary. In 2012, the Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family worked to address this gap by issuing an online survey to Alberta lawyers asking about their experiences with self-represented litigants in the justice system. A similar survey was issued to Alberta judges in 2014. Reports on the 2012 lawyer survey, the 2014 judiciary survey, and a third comparison and analysis report are available on the CRILF website.

Having a Public Conversation About A2J: Nova Scotia’s #Talk Justice Project

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The Equity Office of the Nova Scotia Barrister Society has just published a report discussing its recent #TalkJustice project. As part of the Office’s mandate to explore access to justice issues in Nova Scotia, #TalkJustice involved reaching out to equity-seeking and economically disadvantaged groups throughout the province to hear what they had to say about justice. This final report identifies the key themes that emerged from the project, and explains the methods, goals and inspiration behind the initiative.

The project website offers an overview of the conversation and is also worth a visit.

Poverty Law, the Future of Legal Services and Access to Justice: Towards ABS+

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Journal of Poverty Law

Should Alternative Business Structures (ABS) be able to dispense legal services? That question is the basis of an ongoing regulatory debate that has at its root access to justice issues and how they might be affected by a change in Canadian law towards a less prohibitive model. In the attached paper, “Poverty Law, the Future of Legal Services and Access to Justice: Towards ABS+,” David Wiseman explores this and other pertinent questions.

 

CLEO Paper Links Health Literacy and Legal Capability

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A recent paper has been published by CLEO’s Centre for Research and Innovation on legal capability, social determinants and access to justice for vulnerable Ontarians and Canadians titled: Don’t Smoke, Don’t be Poor, Read Before Signing: Linking Health Literacy and Legal Capability.

The paper provides an overview of health literacy information practices in Ontario to give PLE organizations and related stakeholders information about effective health information practices that can be adapted to improve the accessibility, usefulness, and reach of public legal education and information.

Visit CLEO’s blog, or click here to view the paper.