Jennifer Leitch
This week Julie talks with our new Executive Director, Jennifer Leitch! You can read more about Jennifer on our website, including Moya McAlister’s blog interview with her. That post, as well as today’s episode, delves into why Jennifer made the radical career switch from commercial litigator with a big Bay Street law firm to Access to Justice advocate, and now Director of NSRLP. Jennifer expands on her thinking about the future, both for the legal system and for the NSRLP, and conveys a sense of urgency, practicality, and also, crucially, vision.
The “Law Help” program that Jennifer refers to and was part of her doctoral work is offered by Pro Bono Ontario (but has been online since the pandemic).
Jennifer’s publications, which reflect the work she did in her doctoral research, include:
Having a Say: ‘Access to Justice’ as Democratic Participation (2015)
Looking for Quality: The Empirical Debate In Access to Justice Research (2013)
Jennifer Muller
Jeff Rose-Martland
Karin Turkington
Jennifer’s conversation with Julie is prefaced by comments from three SRLs (Jennifer Muller, Jeff Rose-Martland, and Karin Turkington) who describe why NSRLP is important, what qualities the Director needs, and what their challenges are likely to be.
In Other News
Shannon Meikle
This week our In Other News Correspondent is Research Assistant Shannon Meikle. This week Shannon discusses: a recent article calling for the LSO to be held publicly accountable for its actions, even if that means dissolution or reform; legislation recently passed in the Yukon seeking to improve outcomes for children, youth, and families involved with the child welfare system, as well as address the over-representation of Indigenous children and youth in care; and the province of Manitoba being awarded $1.6 million dollars in funding to implement provisions to make court documents in divorce proceedings available in both official languages.
“Should Law Society of Ontario be dissolved?” (Toronto Sun)
Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Shannon Meikle; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.
I’ve just accessed this page and haven’t attempted to listen to the podcast yet. I’ll give it a try, but with my hearing impairment I may not be able to make out much of what is said.
.
I rely on text and I’ve just read the April 21 Toronto Sun article linked to above. I always feel some urge to preface everything I write with a statement to the effect that “I don’t want to scare anyone”. Why do I have that urge? The answer is that we are way beyond characterizing the situation as a “crisis”. It is an existential crisis. If no one wakes up soon I think we will see some institutions dissolved. That is concerning even to me, though I have alleged that some of the conduct I have uncovered can be characterized as contempt for the rule of law.
.
One of the institutions that is now in peril is the Canadian Judicial Council. I have not only followed but have had a hand in the unfolding of a story that includes the current federal government’s bills S-5 (introduced last May), S-3 (introduced on December 1 and withdrawn on December 15) and now C-9 (introduced the next day). In connection with that story I am going to file a complaint with the LSO, though I don’t live in Ontario and have never retained or faced a lawyer there. Though a true outsider I could claim to have a front row seat and what I’m witnessing looks to me like chaos.
The Chief Justice of Ontario has recently written an article, The Litigator and Mental Health, found on the Court of Appeal website here – https://www.ontariocourts.ca/coa/about-the-court/publications-speeches/the-litigator-and-mental-health/ .
.
It is well written but there are no revelations and I wouldn’t count on it changing anything at this point. I’m not sure about other SRLs but I saw the evidence of these problems at the very beginning of my journey when I had my first encounters with lawyers, even before my first experience of representing myself (in the first legal proceeding I experienced I didn’t even have the status of an SRL, but I was put under oath).
.
I’ll just take the opportunity here to bring up again what I think is the most revealing of all the articles about mental health that I have seen written by a member of the legal establishment. The author was Quebec Court of Appeal justice Yves-Marie Morissette – https://courdappelduquebec.ca/en/about-the-court/composition/the-honourable-yves-marie-morissette/ – and it is the text of a speech he gave to the Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers – https://www.counseltoemployers.ca/ – at one of their annual conferences. They posted a copy on their website, which is where I discovered it, but they took the copy down after I started publicly commenting about it. A copy can currently be found here – http://docplayer.net/42653086-Querulous-or-vexatious-litigants-a-disorder-of-a-modern-legal-system.html. Compare what CJ Strathy is saying to what Justice Morissette said.
Where did the translation come from.
Can you send me the link to what CJ Strathy said.
When did Justice Moissette write the article.
She did not compare because of access to justice improvements how it benefitted the reasonable sane who was thrown into the legal arena because they could not afford legal fees.
Has anyone done a n article on other countries and fees lawyers charge. The last lawyer I had charged me $425.00 an hour; I had to pay him as no other lawyer would take on my litigation.
Hi Julie, Dayna, and welcome Jennifer;
Re the article in Shannon mentioned and the public calling for the dissolution of the Law Society of Ontario. There is public discussions for defunding the police and now there is a movement to essentially dissolve law societies who are not meeting the expectations nor needs of the public they are suppose to be serving.
The tail needs to stop wagging the dog. Its time for the pubic to create its own, Citizens Legal Society of Ontario perhaps, run by the public for the public with “woke” lawyers working side by side with citizens vice the Law Society run by lawyers for lawyers.
A publicly service minded organization formulating regulations, instituting new policies and designing entirely new legal supports and services, more efficient, effective, healthy, affordable, plain language and plain processes engaging meaningful participation as mentioned by Jennifer.
It’s time for “out with the old and in with the long needed new”. I’m open for public “Town Hall” and “Round-table” discussions on this issue and would look forward to speaking with Jennifer and Julie.
Elizabeth R.