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CFCJ Senior Research Fellow Ab Currie in Rotterdam
In June 2026, Ab Currie, Senior Research Fellow at the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice, attended the semi-annual meeting of the Working Group on the Legal Professions, held at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The Working Group brings together researchers from around the world who study the legal professions and their role in justice systems.
Read NowWhy 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
read nowParalegals and Access to Justice: A Case Study of Residential Tenancy Disputes in Ottawa [1]
Amidst a generally perceived crisis in access to justice, increasing emphasis is being placed on the potential of paralegals to offer affordable, efficient and effective legal assistance to people with unmet legal needs. In other words, paralegals may provide a means for re-configuring the costs of justice and thereby improving access to justice. This case
read nowLegal Aid Alberta Hosts 2013 Access to Justice Awards Gala
Each year, Legal Aid Alberta hosts the Access to Justice Awards Gala to recognize individuals nominated by their peers for their significant contribution to the community, as well as reflect on the important role each of us plays within the realm of access to justice. “Remember, the concept of access to quality justice is not simply
read nowInsights into the Cost of Evidence
How do you get credible and testable evidence without making the justice system even more unaffordable than it already is? This question was the sum of the discussion at the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice’s (CIAJ) first-ever student workshop held on October 10, 2013. The workshop titled, The Cost of Evidence, was facilitated
read nowIs “Business” a Dirty Word in Law?
I remember being told at law school (not that long ago) that lawyers were more than “mere” legal plumbers. The implication was that law was a profession (i.e. good, reputable), not a vocation (i.e. bad, dirty). And indeed, as Professor Wesley Pue has noted, there is a long history within the legal profession of praising
read nowThe National Self-Represented Litigants Project
“I have no choice – I am unrepresented not self represented. Its not that I think I can do this better than a lawyer, I have no choice. I don’t have $350 an hour to pay a lawyer.” “I was scared out of my mind. But I had a hard choice – either learning to
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