How are delays in court processes due to COVID-19 considered when assessing the Jordan time limits for the right to be tried within a reasonable time? In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Since then, the pandemic has affected the functioning of many … [Read more...]
Celebrating 50 Years of Pro Bono in Alberta
Calgary Legal Guidance started in 1972 through the work of law students wanting to help people experiencing poverty and homelessness in the city. A half century ago, a group of law students decided to do something to help the many people experiencing poverty and homelessness in Calgary, Alberta. … [Read more...]
Know Your Rights: A CNIB advocacy project
Providing resources about discrimination for partially-sighted, blind and Deafblind individuals in Ontario, the project is now growing nationally. About CNIB CNIB is a non-profit organization driven to change what it is to be blind today. We deliver innovative programs and powerful advocacy that … [Read more...]
The Critical Role of Public Legal Education in Societies Governed by the Rule of Law
At some point in high school, we learn that we live in a nomocracy, which is a fancy ten-cent word for a society governed by the rule of law. The whole “governed by the rule of law” thing is an especially important quality of democracies like ours. It includes the following rights: the right to … [Read more...]
Public Legal Education: Unexamined theory constrains practice
Nothing is so practical as good theory. ~ Kurt Lewin When Public Legal Education (PLE) began to take shape in Canada, it was an innovative, disruptive form of legal service. We were definitely thinking ‘outside the box’. So far out, in fact, that the mere thought of educating the public about the … [Read more...]
A2J and Public Legal Education in 2020 in Alberta
What is justice? It is widely stated that we have an access to justice (A2J) crisis in Canada. You will get a variety of answers, though, if you ask people what they think this means and what we can do about it. As Lois Gander points out in her article in this issue of LawNow, one reason is that … [Read more...]
Retaining a Lawyer
You have asked your friends, looked at websites and finally settled on a lawyer who seems to be a good fit for your case. But before you become a client of that lawyer, you must first retain them. Unfortunately, retaining a lawyer is not always straightforward. The process involves checking … [Read more...]
BearPaw Media and Education: Indigenous public legal education in Alberta
What is BearPaw Media and Education? As a department of Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA), we produce and distribute free, multimedia Indigenous public legal education and information (PLEI). Our resources are for Indigenous people, by Indigenous people in Alberta and include … [Read more...]
Volunteer Lawyers & Pro Bono Organizations in Alberta
Lawyers across Alberta spend countless hours each year volunteering with legal clinics and court programs to assist vulnerable individuals with their legal problems. Without help, these individuals would otherwise represent themselves – called self-represented litigants or SRLs. Volunteer lawyers … [Read more...]
Promoting the Practice of Law in Rural, Regional & Remote Communities
In 2012, 14% of lawyers in B.C. practiced outside of Vancouver, Victoria and Westminster. In 2014, 11% of lawyers in Alberta practiced outside of Calgary and Edmonton. In 2018, 22% of lawyers in Saskatchewan practiced outside of Saskatoon and Regina. Note: Most lawyers practicing outside of … [Read more...]
