The A2J Blog on the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice website features leading voices in access to justice research and advocacy. It publishes submissions from a range of individuals at the forefront of access to justice initiatives – from senior scholars to engaged law students. Recent contributors include Ab Currie (CFCJ Senior Research Fellow), JP Boyd (Executive Director of the Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family), Kimberley Byers (Osgoode Hall Law School JD student), and Sam Muller (Director of HiiL Innovating Justice). The contributions are diverse and serve to spark dialogue about current access to justice initiatives and new research findings. Topics can range from alternative dispute resolution in family law to the sociological underpinnings that shape our understanding of the access to justice crisis. The A2J Blog has been positively received by leading organizations in the access to justice community, including the PLE Learning Exchange (a Community Legal Education Ontario Project), Legal Aid Ontario, and Pro Bono Students Canada.
This winter, the A2J Blog will be launching an exciting new series titled Access to Justice Advocates. The series is a response to recent reports that have underscored the importance of innovation and imagination in the pursuit of access to justice. At the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice, we understand that such efforts come down to people – the diverse advocates working in different and important ways across the access to justice landscape. Each month we will profile individuals who make valuable contributions to the multi-faceted issue of access to justice.
The series will kick off in December, and we currently have profiles lined up on Dianne Wintermute (Staff Lawyer, ARCH Disability Law Centre), Janet Mosher (Associate Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School), and Nat Paul (Project Leader, Ontario Justice Education Network). With a range of backgrounds and experiences, these advocates will be sharing key insights about how their perspectives on access to justice have changed over the course of their careers, and how they address common misconceptions about access to justice in their work.
Would you like to make a submission to the A2J Blog? Do you know an Access to Justice Advocate? Let us know at communications@cfcj-fcjc.org and check out the A2J Blog at www.cfcj-fcjc.org/a2jblog.