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Social Media and Access to Quality Legal Information

Many Canadians now search online for information when they have a legal problem.  Because of this, organizations facilitating access to civil justice have recognized the value of having a website, especially because it is cost-effective.  But how much attention are website viewers paying to content? Does good quality content matter? It is well known that

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You’ve Gotta Have Faith: Considering the Subjective User and Access to Justice Reform

As the National Magazine noted in a recently published article: when it comes to increasing access to justice, providing people with information is only the beginning. The article quoted Sarah McCoubrey, director of the Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN), who said that subjective belief in the fairness of the system and faith in its problem-solving

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Collaborating on Justice Innovation: The Hague and Canada

A recent and exciting justice innovation in Canada is the creation of the Winkler Institute for Dispute Resolution.  The Winkler Institute has an action-oriented three pillar mandate in the areas of teaching and learning, research and innovation and pilots and projects.  Along with the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice and Osgoode Hall Law School, we

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A New Vision for the 2015 Millennium Development Goals: Integrating Access to Justice

How does access to justice play a role in eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable development in the global south? How can countries address access to justice issues, and how should they prioritize them? Should access to justice be adopted as a new Millennium Development Goal (MDG) post-2015? These questions and others concerning the access to

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Reforming the Family Justice System: An Evidence-Based Approach

Family courts are at the epicentre of Canada’s access to justice problem.  Every weekday over 700 new separation-related cases commence in this country. These cases involve Canadians from all walks of life.  Disputes over child custody and access and child support obligations are especially common, and they can have profound impacts on separating adults and

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Why the Cost of Not Resolving Legal Problems May be Greater Than We Think

There is plenty of research evidence of the significant intangible costs of the lack of access to justice. Every legal problems study examining the issue has shown that physical health problems and stress-related illness are common consequences of experiencing legal problems. The Canadian research shows that about 23% of respondents with at least one justiciable

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