We are thrilled to welcome two new members to our terrific, cross-Canada Advisory Board. Our diverse and the NSRLP team to set priorities, brainstorm new ideas, enlarge our network of contacts, and of course, our wonderful board members share their own expertise with us.
Chief Justice Derek Green of Newfoundland and Labrador is a strong and outspoken voice in the national conversation on Access to Justice. Justice Green’s open-minded stance in the search for solutions to the A2J crisis in Canada, along with his stature on the Bench, make him a valued new colleague. Justice Green is no stranger to the work of the NSRLP – he was one of the first to invite Julie to present her research findings to judges in his jurisdiction on the plight of self-represented litigants, and how they might respond to SRLs. Justice Green also lent us his (former) clerk, Katrina Trask, who worked for over a year as a NSRLP volunteer (Katrina’s work included NSRLP’s Summary Judgment Report in 2015 and the NSRLP A2J Bibliography).
We also welcome Professor Lorne Sossin, Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School, who is well-known to Access to Justice advocates across North America. Dean Sossin contributes his time and expertise to innumerable A2J initiatives, including the work of Pro Bono Students Canada, as a Board member of the . Dean Sossin has been a long-time supporter and friend of the NSRLP and we are thrilled that he is now joining our Board in a formal capacity.
We also send special thanks to Board member John Manwaring, who has acted as Board Chair since the inception of the SRL National Study – a long haul! – and to Rob Harvie, who has become our new Chair for 2017.
In other changes, we are excited to welcome two new Research Assistants to our dedicated team. Joanna Pawlowski is a first-year Windsor Law JD student, and Margarita Dvorkina is a first-year student in the dual JD program offered by Windsor Law and the University of Detroit Mercy. Expect to be hearing from them over the coming year!