Introducing our New Executive Director!

Jennifer Leitch

On behalf of our Board of Directors, it is with pleasure that we announce the appointment of the new Executive Director of the National Self-Represented Litigants Project, Jennifer Leitch!

Jennifer is a researcher and law teacher, primarily focusing on legal ethics and professionalism, access to justice, and dispute processes. She also practiced civil litigation for nine years at Goodmans LLP, as well as practicing at Justice for Children and Youth, and has volunteered extensively with Pro Bono Ontario. Her PhD dissertation at Osgoode Hall Law School included ethnographic research involving self-represented litigants’ (SRLs’) experiences of participation in the civil justice system. She continues to research and publish on issues around access to justice.

Communications Manager Moya McAlister sat down with Jennifer to ask her a few questions to learn more about her past, and about her vision for the future of the project.

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Hello Jennifer, welcome! We are very excited to have you on our team.

First off, can you tell us what prompted you to apply for this position? Why did you want to lead the NSRLP?

Thank you Moya – I look forward to getting started. My motivation for applying to the NSRLP was that it provided me with an opportunity to marry my academic research, volunteer experience, and practical work in a way that both assists those representing themselves in the civil justice system and provides a means to advocate for a more just and inclusive system. It is an honour to be chosen to take the reins and lead this organization. But I do acknowledge that there are some very large shoes to fill, as it was Julie Macfarlane who really brought the experiences and challenges of self-represented litigants to light in Canada.

What does access to justice mean to you?

We are currently facing an unprecedented transformation in our civil justice system. The vast majority of individuals can no longer afford legal services and, as a result, are obligated to represent themselves. The consequence is that in many legal contexts, there are currently more self-represented litigants than represented parties in the justice system. Yet the system is built for and operationalized by represented parties and, more significantly, lawyers. This is not access to justice. Access to justice contemplates the ability of citizens to participate in the justice system when needed to resolve their disputes, enforce their rights and ensure that responsibilities owed to them are met. As such, there is much work to be done in ensuring that citizens are able to do so.

Currently I do not believe this is the case. In undertaking such work, we need to shift the way we think about access to justice from an exclusive focus on just getting people lawyers, to building a system that contemplates individuals’ direct participation in decision-making processes that affect them. This vision of access to justice must engage the judiciary, government, lawyers, and the public in building a justice system that allows for different means of meaningful participation.

What are your future goals as Executive Director for the Project?

While it is early days (having officially started on Tuesday), I would like to build on the amazing work that the Project has undertaken in supporting and assisting individuals who represent themselves. Also, I would like to continue to raise awareness about the challenges faced by SRLs. However, I believe that the goal of the Project must be to develop and advocate for systemic change respecting the way in which our legal system operates, to better account for and reflect the participation of SRLs. This includes taking account of the myriad projects and initiatives around the country (as well as in other jurisdictions) that work to strengthen SRLs’ participation, as well as working to highlight the challenges that SRLs continue to face.

However, identifying the challenges is not enough, we must also commit to tackling the resolution of these challenges. Undertaking this work requires a significant and sustained critical examination of processes and procedures built into our civil justice system, as well as how such processes and procedures might better reflect and encourage the participation of SRLs. We can already see that some of this examination is playing out in the nature of the appellate decisions that are taking account of and facilitating SRLs’ participation in civil proceedings.  

What unique skills are you bringing to this role?

While I am not sure my skills are entirely unique, I think one of the strengths that I bring to this task is the ability to engage with some of larger questions both from the perspective of a researcher in the field of access to justice who worked first hand with self-represented litigants to understand their experiences, and as a lawyer who spent nine years practicing civil litigation. Together these experiences help me to understand the nature of the civil justice system and its strengths and weaknesses, as well as allow me to empathize with the experiences of SRLs attempting to navigate the civil justice system on their own.

Lastly, is there anything you want to say to SRLs about how you plan to advocate for better and deeper understanding of their needs, motivations, and challenges?

To self-represented litigants directly, I would say first that it remains crucial that your voice is prioritized and that your experiences, needs, and challenges are not just heard, but acted upon. More personally, in my various interactions with SRLs I can honestly say that I am often inspired by your desire to understand and participate in the justice system in a serious and meaningful manner (often despite significant challenges). I also admire your sustained faith in the capacity of the justice system to provide fair and just results. It is this sustained faith that drives my commitment to ensuring that positive outcomes are possible and achievable.

Thank you, Jennifer, we are all looking forward to working with you.

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Please join us in welcoming Jennifer to this new role as Executive Director! If you have any questions or comments, please email them to representingyourself@gmail.com.