Access to Justice All-Star: Darrel Pink

In Nova Scotia, Darrel Pink has been called the “eharmony” of access to justice because of his unique and important skills in collaboration and bringing together the right people to have the right conversations to be able to move forward access to justice projects and initiatives. Darrel is a visionary leader and a catalyst for change. He has initiated and hosted a forum on innovative legal services delivery and a workshop on working with self represented litigants, and developed an access to justice action plan for the Nova Scotia Barristers Society.

Through his leadership the Society is leading the way on a number of important and innovative access to justice projects that focus on the needs of equity seeking and economically disadvantaged communities. Darrel is also a leader in bringing an Action Committee on Access to Justice to Nova Scotia which is a high level stakeholders group committed to improving access to legal services and the justice system. Darrel is widely respected and admired by individuals and communities who are inspired by his passion and commitment for improved access to justice for all Nova Scotians.

Karen Hudson, executive director of Legal Aid Nova Scotia, who nominated Darrel Pink, has this to say about the newest A2J All-Star Team member: “When change management guru Drucker said ‘Your first and foremost job as a leader is to take charge of your own energy and then help to orchestrate the energy of those around you’, he must have been thinking about Darrel Pink. Don’t confuse this with a glib commentator or a facile cheerleader. Darrel gets things moving; gets people connected; and gets new things done.”

“When I became Executive Director of Nova Scotia Legal Aid, I immediately recognized Darrel’s leadership. At our 2012 AGM Darrel challenged us, as the largest law “firm” in the province, to lead a legal revolution. Not pie in the sky–his 20 page speech informed and shaped our strategic plan to provide more access to more justice for more Nova Scotians. Any access to justice change in Nova Scotia has Darrel’s fingerprints on it.”