The paper was presented at an Access to Justice Symposium in 2013. It provides a description of organizations in Ontario and a few National ones and the work that they are doing in order to enhance access to justice in Ontario.
Background Paper for The Law Society of Ontario’s Access to Justice Symposium: “Creating a Climate for Change”
October 29, 2013
Prepared by Karen Cohl
for The Law Society of Upper Canada
DRAFT – OCT 20, 2013
The paper was one of two papers prepared to stimulate discussion at an Access to Justice Symposium hosted by the Law Society of Upper Canada October 29, 2013. Efforts to enhance access to justice involve partnerships with a multitude of organizations. The paper focuses on describing legal organizations and their access to justice activities based on information obtained from contacts within those organizations. It describes organizations mainly within Ontario as well as some national organizations.
Legal organizations are described by category beginning with Legal Institutions including the Law Society of Upper Canada which governs Ontario’s lawyers and paralegals. In 2006 the Law Society was given an explicit statutory mandate to facilitate access to justice for the people of Ontario. To that end, the Law Society began a variety of initiatives including forming several standing committees. Sample access to justice activities of the Law Society are listed including the Lawyer Referral Service.
The Law Foundation of Ontario is a legal institution that funds programs that help people understand the law and the justice system; help people to use the law to improve their lives and foster excellence in the work of legal professionals. Priorities, funding sources and sample activities of the LFO are described including grants to non-profit community groups.
Legal Aid Ontario, an organization with a statutory mandate to promote access to justice for low income individuals throughout Ontario and its Access to Justice Activities are described including its toll free number where individuals can obtain summary legal advice for family and criminal law matters in 120 different languages.
The Law Commission of Ontario is an independent organization that researches issues and recommends law reform measures that make the law accessible to all Ontario communities. Its mandate, history and sample access to justice activities are described.
The paper provides details on provincial and local services including Ontario’s 77 community legal clinics. These clinics focus on geographic communities and also include specialty clinics designed to service specific client populations. Pro Bono Law Ontario (PBLO), a charity founded in 2001 is described in some detail. PBLO creates and manages volunteer programs that connect lawyers with low income Ontarians in a variety of ways. The Ontario Justice Education Network (OEJN); Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO); the Barbara Schlifer Commemorative Clinic; Office of the Worker Advisor (OWA); Office of the Employer Advisor (OEA); and the Human Rights Legal Support Centre and their sample access to justice activities are described.
National Services including the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (AJDWYC); the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA); Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC); and the Women’s Legal Education and Advocacy Fund (LEAF) are described with sample access to justice activities of each set out.
Legal Associations are listed including the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) and the Canadian Bar Association (CBA); the Advocates Society; Country and District Law Presidents’ Association (CDLPA); the Criminal Lawyers’ Association (CLA); the Family Lawyer’s Association (FLA); the Ontario Trial Lawyers’ Association (OTLA); the Refugee Lawyers’ Association of Ontario (RLA); Paralegal Society of Ontario (PS0); Licensed Paralegals Association (Ontario) LPA) as well as several legal associations that focus on a particular demographic are listed. The legal associations listed under demographic are:
Courts and tribunals and the work that they are doing to make the system more accessible for Ontarians are described as well as the Ministry of the Attorney General for Ontario and Department of Justice Canada and the access to justice work that they are doing. Finally, Ontario’s law schools each have a number or programs of their own or that support or partner with other organizations already described. These programs are listed and set out in the paper.
Legal Organizations and Access to Justice Activities in Ontario