Access to Justice Week BC

February 3 to 7, 2025

Access to Justice Week is an opportunity to engage with the access to justice movement that is taking place in BC and beyond.

This is a week devoted to considering how to improve the justice system by putting its users at the centre of decisions and processes. During this week, law students and legal professionals organize events to look more deeply at how to do this in the environments that surround them.

This year, we explore the question, “What does the future of access to justice look like?”

From February 3 to 7, 2025, we will place a spotlight on technology, including artificial intelligence, and inclusivity, including equitable solutions for individuals and communities with unmet legal needs.

The week's events will emphasize person-centred design, in terms of:

  • How virtual platforms and new tools can help make legal information and services more efficient and accessible; and,
  • How culturally relevant and trauma informed human support and decision-making can help make legal experiences and outcomes more relevant and effective.

During Access to Justice Week BC, we intend to create dialogue on new and emerging practices and perspectives to advance justice for all. The sessions will blend forward-thinking discussions with actionable insights and steps.

Saturday

Make sure you register for the week's events!

You can also check out the websites of partner organizations, which provide access to justice information and educational opportunities throughout the year:

Canadian Bar Association of British Columbia

Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia

Courthouse Libraries of British Columbia

UVic Access to Justice Centre for Excellence 

Youth Leaders in Law

Monday

Reimagining Justice through User-Centred Principles

A legal system that focuses on the needs and experiences of those who interact with it ensures a more positive and effective journey towards justice. Access to justice experts, Zach Zarnow and Dr. Andrew Pilliar, identify the principles of user-centered design and how it can be applied to address real-world barriers. Front line justice system worker, Angie Still, discusses the use of user-centered design to deliver culturally appropriate services for Indigenous people through its Indigenous Justice Centres, including wraparound supports to address the discrimination, traumas, and barriers to fully accessing justice.

Time & Location:  12:30-2pm via Zoom

Speakers:

Zach Zarnow, Deputy Managing Director, National Center for State Courts
Dr. Andrew Pilliar, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Thompson Rivers University
Angie Still, Virtual Client Navigator, BC First Nations Justice Council

Moderator:  Sarah McCoubrey, Director of IJC Transformation, BC First Nations Justice Council

Register here by Jan. 31 at 10am.

Tuesday

Access to Justice for Victims of Economic Abuse

Hosted by the Canadian Bar Association's Alberta Branch

Economic Abuse is an important form of Intimate Partner Violence (“IPV”) that is often used to trap victims in an abusive relationship. Though victims of all types of IPV encounter barriers to accessing justice, there are particular issues for those victimized by Economic Abuse. This presentation explains the prevalence and consequences of Economic Abuse and explores the evidence that survivors lack access to justice. It proposes the primary obstacles survivors of Economic Abuse encounter and proposes specific actions to assist lawyers, judges, and legislators in recognizing Economic Abuse and promoting appropriate remedies.

Time & Location:  2:00-3pm via Zoom

Speaker:  Dr. McKay White, Associate Professor, Department of International Business, Marketing, Strategy & Law, MacEwan University

Register here

Wednesday

Access to Justice in the AI Era:  Risk vs. Innovation

ChatGPT’s 2022 release pushed the world into the AI era, with the potential of artificial intelligence sparking widespread interest throughout the legal sector. But do the risks outweigh the innovation of AI?

Separate hype from reality through this session's examination of AI and access to justice. Through practical use cases, participants will be encouraged to explore the opportunities, risks and regulatory considerations for using AI.

Time & Location:  4:30-6pm via Zoom

Speakers:

Professor Amy Salyzyn, Faculty of Law, Common Law Section, University of Ottawa
Michael Litchfield, Director, Faculty of Law, Artificial Intelligence Risk and Regulation Lab & the Business Law Clinic, University of Victoria | Associate Director, BC Access to Justice Centre for Excellence

Moderator:  Tina Parbhakar, Strategic Coordinator, Access to Justice BC

Register here by Feb. 3 at 10am.

Thursday

A2J Data Working Lunch

At the working lunch (with pizza!), you will help the team at the Justice Data and Design Lab by reviewing and coding Reddit posts in which British Columbian's ask for help with their legal problems.
JDD Lab interns will guide you to organize the posts so we can identify:
1.  What the most common housing problems people are having?
2.  What help are people asking for to resolve their problems?
You will be making a difference!

Time & Location:  12:30-1:20pm at Room 157, Fraser Building, UVic Law School

RSVP to contact@accesstojusticebc.ca

Bridging the Justice Gap: Hackathons as Catalysts for Change

A legal hackathon is an event at which law students, lawyers, developers, designers and other community members gather to address a specific problem, often drawing on shared momentum. Participants work intensively, typically over one to three days, to prototype and present solutions. Solutions generated at these events have ranged from chatbots to virtual platforms that help individuals navigate the complexities of the legal system.

More than ever, hackathons hold the potential to generate ideas that can be harnessed to create more equitable approaches and systems. This panel brings together experts and innovators from The Justice Hack (BC), the Stanford CodeX Hackathon, the Philly (Philadelphia) Social Justice Hackathon, and the Cambridge Hack the Law (LLM x Law) Hackathon. Together, they will share how hackathons contribute to user-centred and multi-disciplinary approaches that generate novel tools, strategies, and partnerships.

With a focus on access to justice and the evolving role of technology, this discussion will showcase the speakers’ leadership in hackathon coordination and continuity. It also sets the stage for the next justice hack in Vancouver, BC.

Time & Location:  12:30-2pm via Zoom

Register here by Feb. 3 at 10am.

Friday

Access to Justice and Fair Proceedings:  The Fundamental Conflict Between an Inherently Complex Justice System and Self-Representation

This talk with focus on how most cases involve necessary substantive, procedural and evidentiary complexities which make it difficult to impossible for a person without legal training to represent themselves.  Further, solutions to this inherent conflict between a complex legal system and growing self-representation cannot be solved by changing the rules of evidence or having the judge act in a counsel role.  The talk will explore court applications indigent self-represented persons can make in criminal and civil proceedings for the appointment of counsel to protect the fairness of the proceedings.

Time & Location: 12:30pm -1:30pm, Peter A. Allard Law School, Room 106 & via Zoom.

Speakers:

Professor Nikos Harris KC, Faculty of Law, UBC Allard Law School

Other speakers will be announced shortly.

RSVP to contact@accesstojusticebc.ca.

Supporting Organizations

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Contact Us

contact@accesstojusticebc.ca