New Legal Needs Survey Report Published in the UK

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The Law Society of England and Wales, working in conjunction with the Legal Services Board and YouGov, carried out a survey in 2023 aimed at gathering information on people’s legal problem experiences, their understanding of the law, how problems intersect with other aspects of their lives and the impacts, and what people need from legal professionals and the justice system. More than 12,000 people across England and Wales participated in the survey.

Survey results were published in April 2024. Key findings include:

  • Two thirds of adults in England and Wales experienced a legal problem in the four-year reference period of the survey. This represents a 2-percent increase from the 2019 legal needs survey.
  • The most common legal problem types experienced are: employment, finance, welfare and benefits problems.
  • When considering external factors (Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, and inflation), 12% of people said that their legal issue was caused by COVID-19; 15% felt that their issue was caused by increases in inflation/ the cost of living, and 26% said that their issue was made worse by the cost of living.
  • A majority of people who experienced a legal problem received some help for their problem, though fewer people reported receiving help in the 2023 survey than the 2019 survey (62% vs 66%).
  • 52% of people indicated that they received help from a professional; 11% of people received help from a non-professional. Young adults are more likely to get help.

The Legal Needs of Individuals in England and Wales: Summary Report 2024 can be downloaded here: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/research/find-out-what-your-clients-need-with-the-results-of-our-legal-needs-survey.

For a news article discussing findings from the survey, see: https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/yougov-legal-needs-survey-suggests-solicitors-losing-market-share/5119414.article.

International Access to Justice Conference – Call for Proposals

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Osgoode Hall Law School of York University is pleased to announce that the 2024 International Access to Justice Forum (IA2J Forum) will take place at Osgoode Professional Development, in downtown Toronto, Canada, from October 23-25, 2024.

For those interested in presenting at the conference, the submission portal (https://machformext.osgoode.yorku.ca/machform/view.php?id=365881) is now open for proposals. Please note that all presenters must plan to attend the conference in person.

We invite presentations from scholars; researchers; legal practitioners; court, tribunal, and dispute resolution staff; and other legal service providers from around the world on a range of topics relating to access to civil justice. Topics of particular interest include the following:

New data or empirical analysis regarding the prevalence of civil legal problems, perceptions or understandings of legal matters, or behavior taken in response to justiciable events;
Legal professional regulatory reform, alternative legal service providers, and innovative legal service partnerships;
The role of legal technology in enhancing access to justice;
Access to justice in the face of climate change, global conflict, and economic change;
Interventions and approaches to enhance equality in access to civil justice for underserved groups;
Research regarding the outcomes and impacts of legal services, or the return on investment regarding the delivery of legal services; and
The place of access to justice in legal education.

Those interested in presenting should submit a brief abstract (no more than 3,000 characters) that clearly identifies the proposed topic and summarizes key findings or lessons. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Deadline for Submissions: May 31, 2024 (11:59 pm ET)

Conference Co-Chairs:
Dean Trevor Farrow, Professor Suzanne Chiodo, and Professor Patricia McMahon,
Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.

Questions may be directed to:
Erika Robinson (erobinson@osgoode.yorku.ca), Research Events & Communications Coordinator, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.

UVic Access to Justice Centre for Excellence Launches Justice Data and Design Lab

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The Access to Justice Centre for Excellence at the University of Victoria (UVic ACE) has released its first data update from the recently launched Justice Data and Design Lab (JDD). The JDD, which is housed at ACE, provides access to justice data insights specific to British Columbia.

Working with graduate students from the faculties of law and data science, the JDD has published data on the legal needs of British Columbians gleaned from social media site, Reddit.

Those interested in access to justice are encouraged to access the new JDD Interactive Display, which provides information on the types of legal problems people in B.C. are asking for help with on Reddit as of January 2024.

For information on how to download and view the interactive display, contact ACE at https://bcace.org/contact.

To better understand the type of data that the JDD is collecting and what they are learning from the data, there is a video explaining the data, available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LI7dpj9qZluZXAgXNFsKGFHh4qYm1WAV/view.

For general information on the Justice Data and Design Lab, visit: https://bcace.org/justice-data-and-design-lab. To learn more about the Access to Justice Centre for Excellence, visit: https://bcace.org/.

Virtual New York-Based Conference to focus on AI, A2J and Law School

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New York State’s Permanent Commission on Access to Justice is collaborating with Fordham University’s School of Law for a conference on artificial intelligence, access to justice, and law school. “Let’s Talk AI and A2J: How Law Schools, Civil Legal Services, and the Courts Together Can Harness Technology to Address the Justice Gap” will take place on Thursday, April 11, 2024, from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET via Zoom. This virtual conference is free to attend. The deadline to register is Friday, April 5.

The (in-progress) conference agenda is available online here: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/accesstojusticecommission/ls/2024agenda.shtml. For more information about the conference, please visit: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/accesstojusticecommission/ls2024.

Virtual Event to Highlight Strategies and Collaborative Efforts for Enhancing Access to Justice Globally

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On Tuesday, March 19, 2024, the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will host the 3rd Summit for Democracy. The event, which takes place in South Korea, seeks to highlight “innovative strategies and collaborative efforts in strengthening the people-centered rule of law and enhancing access to justice globally, with a view to strengthening democratic resilience”.

Among the event’s intended objectives are:

  • To showcase successful policies and practices that have been implemented to strengthen the people-centred rule of law and improve access to justice across countries
  • To facilitate a dialogue among policymakers, legal practitioners, civil society representatives, and international organisations on current challenges and opportunities in promoting people-centricity in the rule of law and justice for all.
  • To identify priority areas for international cooperation and partnership to further advance people-centred justice and the rule of law on a global scale.

Participants can join the event online. The event is scheduled to begin at 7:00 a.m. (EST) / 20:00 (KST) / 12:00 (CET). For more information, or to register, please visit: https://www.sdg16.plus/events/strengthening-the-rule-of-law-and-access-to-justice-for-healthy-democracies/.

Information about this event was taken from a news release about the event.

Request for Proposals for the Self-Represented Litigation Network Conference

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The U.S.-based Self-Represented Litigation Network (SRLN) has published a request for proposals for a conference, taking place in Salt Lake City, Utah from September 18-20, 2024.

The 2024 Conference is being held in collaboration with the Utah State Courts, the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah and the Stanford Law School Legal Design Lab. From September 18 to 20, lawyers, judges, clerks of court and court administrators, self-help services professionals, librarians, technologists, funders, and other allied professionals are invited to explore and develop strategies for improving access to justice. The SRLN’s global membership includes more than 2,900 individuals and organizations, representing more than 20 countries. Justice stakeholders are invited to submit a proposal by April 8 to ensure that their jurisdiction and perspectives are represented at the fall conference: https://www.srln.org/node/1608/srln-2024-conference-utah.

UK Law Commission Report Explores Benefits of Law Reforms for Economy and Society

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A recently published UK Law Commission report provides an update from 2019 to 2023 of the benefits for the economy and society derived from law reforms.

The report identifies efficiency gains, technology driven growth, harm prevention, well-being improvement, rule of law, access to justice, modernising the legal system, and thought leadership as outcomes of the Law Commission’s projects. The report also confirms benefits for the economy valued at £670 million over 10 years, and the potential for positive impacts for more than 5 million people and over 75% of households from the implementation of other initiatives.

In addition to details on the Law Commission’s outputs, and how the impacts of the Law Commissions reforms are measured, the report also includes recommendations for further research.

The Law Commission’s “Value of Law Reform: Update” report is available in English and Welsh here: https://lawcom.gov.uk/document/the-value-of-law-reform/.

Information for this post was gleaned from the Law Commission report.

International Access to Justice Forum to be Held in October 2024

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The International Access to Justice Forum 2024 will bring together a diverse group of scholars, practitioners, policy makers and court and dispute resolution experts to discuss exciting new developments and ongoing challenges in access to justice.

Building on the rich legacy of previous conferences, we anticipate engaging discussions, inspiring presentations, and enriching cross-border dialogue. We welcome your participation, whether as an in-person presenter, attendee, or member of the online audience.

The International Access to Forum will be hosted by Osgoode Hall Law School at York University from October 23-25, 2025.

To be notified about the call for proposals and registration, visit: https://signup.e2ma.net/signup/1997018/5757/.

Statistics Canada Publishes Infographic on UN SDG 16

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An infographic published by Statistics Canada on January 25, 2024 provides an overview of Canada’s standing on several indicators for UN Sustainable Development Goal 16, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

The infographic reveals, for example, that:

  • In 2022, less than 50% of Canadians had confidence in the justice system and courts. This figure is lowest among LGBTQ2+ people.
  • Almost 32% of non-Indigenous people had confidence in the Canadian media
  • Fraud accounted for over 36,800 violations in 2022 (which is roughly half of all cyber-related violations)

The infographic is available in English here: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-637-x/2022001/article/00016-eng.htm.

The infographic is available in French here: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-637-x/2022001/article/00016-fra.htm.

Access to Justice Week BC Offers Opportunity to Engage with A2J Movement in BC and Beyond

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Access to Justice Week BC will take place from February 5 to 9, 2024. The week’s event lineup includes panels centered on advancing the justice system through people-centered perspectives.

Events planned under this year’s theme, “What does People-Centered Justice Look Like?” include:

Monday, February 5
Author discussion of Indictment: The Criminal Justice System on Trial
Speaker: Benjamin Perrin, UBC Allard Law Professor 

Tuesday, February 6
The Intersection between Restorative Justice and Person-Centered Justice
Speaker: Dr. Alana Abramson, KPU Criminology Instructor, Trainer & Consultant

Bridging the Gap:  Access to Justice by Van and Boat
Speakers:
Ab Currie, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow, Canadian Forum on Civil Justice
Anne Fletcher, Founder and Legal Advocate, Bella Coola Legal Advocacy Program
Moderator: Lindsay Frame, CBABC Access to Justice Committee / Litigation Associate, McCarthy Tetrault

Finding Justice: Challenges and Opportunities in BC’s Legal Aid Landscape
Speakers:
Aleem Bharmal, KC, Community Legal Assistance Society
Michael Bryant, CEO, Legal Aid BC
Wendy Jackson, Executive Director of Legal Access Policy Division, Ministry of Attorney General
Amanda Carling, CEO, BC First Nations Justice Council
Moderator: Lee Nevens, First Vice President, Canadian Bar Association – BC Branch

Wednesday, February 7
Legal Education and Professional Competencies: What the Access to Justice Lawyer Needs to Know
Speakers:
Hon. Associate Chief Justice Susan Wishart, BC Provincial Court
Robert Lapper, KC, UVic Law Professor
Chris Heslinga, Director, UVic Law Centre

Thursday, February 8
Designing a Person-Centred Family Justice System
Speakers: TBA

Friday, February 9
Gendered Aspects of Legal Aid
Speakers:
Lindsay Tedds, Associate Professor, Economics, University of Calgary
Gillian Petit, Senior Researcher, Economics, University of Calgary
Monique Pongracic-Speier, KC, Partner, Ethos Law

Youth Legal Needs and the Current Youth-Service Landscape in BC
Speakers:
Rachel Getz, first year law student at Thompson Rivers University School of Law
Avneet Sandhu, first year law student at the University of Victoria School of Law
Keegan Nicol, first year law student at UBC’s Peter A. Allard School of Law
Tina Parbhakar, Strategic Coordinator, Access to Justice BC

Youth Leaders in Law Virtual Speed Networking with Alberta & BC Law Students

The full Access to Justice Week BC schedule is available online here: https://accesstojusticebc.ca/a2jweekbc/.