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Connect.Create.

Communicate.Public Legal Education and

the Access to Justice Movement

OCTOBER 20-21, 2016TORONTO#PLEA2J

lawconnectontario.ca@LawConnectON

theactiongroup.ca@tagactiongroup

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Welcome to Connect, Create, CommunicateThe Action Group on Access to Justice and LawConnect Ontario are proud to host Connect, Create, Communicate: Public Legal Education and the Access to Justice Movement. This conference is part of Ontario’s first Access to Justice Week and marks the start of a new access to justice chapter focused on engagement, diversity and collaboration.

The conference offers a range of workshops, speakers and networking opportunities related to our key themes:

Connecting• Reaching and engaging the public• Working with non-traditional partners • Training and working with “go-to” intermediaries• Sharing new research findings and developments • The practical and strategic use of technology

Creating• Developing public legal education resources with and for hard-to-reach audiences• Understanding the need: assessing needs and learning from evaluations• Finding support and partners for new projects• Working with volunteers• Access to justice as a social movement• Rethinking legal education to support public legal education and access to justice

Communicating• Communicating in plain language• Public participation in finding access to justice solutions• Building public awareness of access to justice and the legal system• Working with the digital divide• Changing relationships between legal experts and the public

This conference features promising practices in public legal education and current issues in the push for access to justice in Ontario. We warmly welcome you to Connect, Create, Communicate and hope that you will appreciate the broad range of learning and engagement opportunities in our program.

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Agenda: Thursday, October 208:45AM - 9:30AM

Keynote: Enveloping the Law in a Social Movement for First Nations Children’s EquityDr. Cindy Blackstock

Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada and Professor, McGill University School of Social Work

A member of the Gitksan First Nation, Cindy has 25 years of social work experience in child protection and Indigenous children’s rights.

Her reconciliation based approach to addressing contemporary inequalities experienced by First Nations children and youth by engaging children and young people and other members of the public to implement evidence informed solutions has been recognized by the Nobel Women’s Initiative, the Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, the Indigenous Bar Association, Frontline Defenders and many others.

An author of numerous articles and a widely sought after public speaker, Cindy has collaborated with other Indigenous leaders to assist the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in the development and adoption of a General Comment on the Rights of Indigenous children and currently serves as a Commissioner for the Pan American Health Organization’s study on Health Equity and Inequity.

Dr. Cindy Blackstock

9:30AM - 10:30AM Plenary #1

Medicine, Finance, Journalism, Law: The New Proximity Between Experts and the Public How have other sectors navigated “disruption” and what lessons can we draw for the justice system?

Panelists:• Renatta Austin, Lawyer • Dan Dunsky, Public Inc.• Andrew Pinto, Public Health and Preventive Medicine Specialist and Family Physician, St. Michael’s Hospital • Shannon Lee Simmons, Founder, The New School of Finance• Jennifer Leitch, Research Fellow, Canadian Forum on Civil Justice (Moderator)

10:45AM - 12:00PM WorkshopsNew Roles for Lawyers and Paralegals As the landscape of legal services changes, what new roles are emerging for lawyers and paralegals? What opportunities do we see for advancing access to justice and how do we minimize the risks, for both legal professionals and the public?• Joel Miller, The Family Law Coach• Stacey MacCormac, MacCormac Law Firm• Karen Schucher, Humber College• Brian Houghton, Pro Bono Law Ontario• Meredith Brown, Calibrate Solutions (Moderator)

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Community Ownership Case Study: PLE and A2J by and for Persons with Disabilities We all know that communities should be involved in guiding our projects. This workshop will examine two projects where the target audience, persons with disabilities, took ownership of an organization’s efforts to serve them. How can we better integrate “users” into our planning?• Case Study 1: Dawn Roper, Community Living Ontario• Case Study 2: Sue Hutton and Kerri Joffe, ARCH Disability Law Centre; Peter Park, Rights Activist

Legal Capability Many public legal education and information groups are working to expand on the pioneering work on legal capability performed by Law for Life (UK). How has our understanding of legal capability developed and what does it mean for the future of public legal education?• Julie Mathews, Community Legal Education Ontario• Jessica Reekie, Ontario Justice Education Network• Lisa Wintersteiger (via Skype), Law for Life (UK)

Both Official Languages: PLE and A2J in French and EnglishIn this session, Carolina Mingarelli reflects on 15 years of Justice Canada’s Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Fund, drawing some conclusions for the future of access to justice for official language minorities. Michael Potre of Educaloi addresses the challenges around maintaining a high standard of plain language in multilingual materials. This panel will be partially presented in French.

• Carolina Mingarelli, Official Languages Directorate, Justice Canada• Michael Poutre, Educaloi• Jean-Francois Morin, Ontario Justice Education Network (Moderator)

1:00PM - 2:15PM Speed Dating Organized around specific themes, Speed Dating sessions will allow many people to come together to share ideas, build connection and discuss common areas of work. Sit down for short, 10-minute conversations with 4 different presenters who will introduce a key project and collect feedback. With the remaining time, visit whoever interests you for more conversation. Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI) Spotlight A spotlight on key public legal education projects from across Canada.• Giulia Reinhardt, Halton Community Legal Services• Heather De Berdt Romilly, Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia• Monick Corriveau, Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario• Shannon McLeod, Courthouse Libraries BC• David Doughton, Community Legal Information Association of PEI (Moderator) Current Research Updates on current research in access to justice and public legal education and information.• Susan McDonald, Justice Canada• Lois Gander, University of Alberta• Marina Pavlovic, University of Ottawa• Julie Mathews, Community Legal Education Ontario • Noel Semple, University of Windsor (Moderator)

Responding to Community Needs Developing PLEI and A2J solutions for specific audiences with identified needs.• Jeannette Savoie, Legal Aid Commission of NWT• Fallon Melander, Legal Aid Ontario, and Kelly Brownbill, Educator & Consultant• Joanna Lehrer, J Lehrer Law• Tomee Sojourner, Prevent CRP

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2:30PM - 3:45PM Workshops

Non-Traditional Partners for PLEI• Geordie Dent, Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations• Erin Fitzpatrick, Connecting Ottawa• Samantha Hayward, Community Advocacy Legal Clinic• Amy Slotek, Legal Aid Ontario; Lana Frado, Sound Times Support Services; Johanna McDonald, St. Michael’s Hospital• Michelle Cader, Community Legal Education Ontario (Moderator)

Legislation and PLEI Legislation is notoriously opaque. Malankov, Peters, and Sayers introduce Between the Lines, a new site that attempts to make the written law understandable to a general audience. Semple introduces usability theory as a tool for evaluating the accessibility of legislation and PLEI tools.• Mayoori Malankov, Samantha Peters, and Naomi Sayers, Between the Lines• Noel Semple, University of Windsor

Self-Represented Litigants What are the PLEI needs of self-reps in family law and other areas? How do they fare in the current court system?• Nikki Gershbain, Pro Bono Students Canada • Jennifer Leitch, Osgoode Hall Law School• Claudette Reimer, The Mediation Centre PLEI in Schools How can PLEI practitioners work with the school system to promote legal capability and learning about the legal system? A look at participating in curricular reform, planning CPD for social science teachers, and designing PLEI for high school classes that aren’t strictly about ‘law.’• Rick Craig, Justice Education Society• Andrea Leone, Teacher, Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board• Nat Paul, Ontario Justice Education Network• Danielle Thibodeau, Law in Action Within Schools

Technology Initiatives High-impact digital tools and public engagement strategies.• Jane Willwerth and Emma Halpern, Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society• Michelle Kelly, legalagents.ca• Candice Lee, MyLawBC• Fiona McCool, Rebecca Stulberg, Community Legal Education Ontario• Hersh Perlis, Legal Innovation Zone (Moderator)

4:00PM - 5:00PM

Plenary #2

What does it mean to put the public first? Recent access to justice reports emphasize the importance of public-centered solutions. But how are such solutions developed and how can we ensure authentic public engagement?

Panelists:• Avvy Go, Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic• Maciej Czop, Abacus Data• Farrah Khan, Ryerson University • Sabreena Delhon, The Action Group on Access to Justice (Moderator)

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Agenda: Friday, October 21 8:30AM - 9:30AM Town Hall A lively discussion of a current issues facing public legal education and the access to justice movement. Issues will be determined by conference participants on Thursday, October 20. • Grant Wedge, Law Society of Upper Canada (Moderator)

9:45AM - 11:00AMWorkshops

Measuring Our Impact Good work and good evaluation go hand in hand. In this session the funder and research perspective combine to reflect on how we know what works.• Tanya Lee, Law Foundation of Ontario• Les Jacobs, York University• Wayne Robertson, Law Foundation of British Columbia• Susan McDonald, Department of Justice Canada (Moderator) Hands On: Building Legal Info-graphics In this hands-on workshop, lawyer and graphic designer Adrienne Ng will work with participants to create an info-graphic about a chosen legal topic, introducing the principles behind visual communication and some affordable software options for creating effective visuals.• Adrienne Ng, Open LLP

New Platforms for PLEI: Graphic Storytelling and Podcasts How can we engage the public with key information about legal issues? In this session, Penny Goldsmith will discuss the power and potential of graphic stories, while Nadine Blum and Kelly Doctor talk about how podcasting can be used as a tool for social justice advocacy, A2J, and PLEI, speaking about their own experience in launching a podcast.• Penny Goldsmith, Goldsmith Plain Language• Nadine Blum and Kelly Doctor, Goldblatt Partners LLP 11:15AM - 12:30PM

Workshops

Critical Perspectives on Digital Solutions to Access to Justice This panel seeks to have a measured conversation about what digital innovation can and can’t achieve in the legal sector. Speakers address the potential and limits of artificial intelligence, the proliferation of apps, the balance between convenience and fairness, new research, and more.• Suzanne Bouclin, University of Ottawa• Patricia Hughes• Samuel Witherspoon, MiraLaw• Erik Bornmann, Community Legal Clinic – Simcoe, Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes (Moderator)

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Legal Education This panel asks how law schools and paralegal programs prepare future lawyers and paralegals to positively affect the access to justice problem. Speakers address the impact of diversity in admissions, changes to paralegal certifi-cation, the effect of rising tuition and student debt loads, and what medical schools can teach us about relationships with clients.• Fallon Burns, Paralegal Cup • Julia McDonald, A2Justice• James Bruce Blain, Ryerson University, and Teresa Chan, McMaster University

Call to Attention: In Conversation with Mandi Gray & Ellie Ade KurThis panel explores the many ways in which the legal system is inaccessible for survivors of sexual violence. How to personal experiences translate into different approaches for educating the public? This session will feature a preview of Slut or Nut: Diary of a Rape Trial, a documentary that serves as a toolkit for sexual assault survivors and features Mandi Gray and Ellie Ade Kur.• Mandi Grey, York University • Ellie Ade Kur, University of Toronto• Michelle Thompson, LawConnect Ontario (Moderator)

PLEI for Vulnerable Youth Youth are a challenging but important demographic for public legal educators to engage. Outreach educators from Justice for Children and Youth and the Ontario Justice Education Network share their hard-won insight on how to work with youth who have a historically negative relationship with the justice system.• Emily Chan, Jesse Mark, Justice for Children and Youth• Lisa Brown, Enisone Kadiri, Bryn Bamber, Ontario Justice Education Network

1:30PM - 3:00PM

Plenary #3 Good Work in Grey Areas Trusted intermediaries play a critical role in advancing access to the justice system and circulating legal information. How are we navigating the boundaries and distinctions between legal information and legal advice, and who is qualified to give them?

Panelists:• Malcolm Mercer, Law Society of Upper Canada• Joel Miller, The Family Law Coach• Francisco Rico, FCJ Refugee Centre• Amy Wah, HIV/AIDS Legal Clinic of Ontario• Julie Mathews, Community Legal Education Ontario (Moderator)

Time Ballroom 1 Ballroom 2 Lombard Armoury8:00 – 8:30 Registration8:30 – 8:45 Welcome8:45 – 9:30 Keynote: Enveloping the Law in a Social Movement for First Nations Children’s

Equity Dr. Cindy Blackstock

Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada

Professor, McGill University School of Social Work9:30 – 10:30 Plenary#1:

Medicine, Finance, Journalism, Law: The New Proximity Between Experts and the Public

Panelists: Dan Dunsky (Public Inc), Shannon Simmonds (New School of Finance), Renatta Austin (Lawyer), Andrew Pinto (St. Michael’s Hospital)

Moderator: Jennifer Leitch (Canadian Forum on Civil Justice) 10:30 – 10:45 BREAK10:45 – 12:00 New Roles

for Lawyers & Paralegals

Community Ownership Case Study: PLE and A2J by and for Persons with Disabilities

Non-Traditional Partners for PLEI

Legal Capability

12:00 – 1:00 LUNCH1:00 – 2:15 Speed Dating* Speed Dating* Speed Dating* Speed Dating*2:15 – 2:30 BREAK2:30 – 3:45 Public Legal

Education and Information in Schools

Legislation and PLEI

Self-Represented Litigants

PLEI for Vulnerable Youth

3:45 – 4:00 BREAK4:00 – 5:00 Plenary #2: What Does It Mean to Put the Public First?

Panelists: Maciej Czop (Abacus Data), Avvy Go (Metro Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic), Farrah Khan (Ryerson University)

Moderator: Sabreena Delhon (The Action Group on Access to Justice)5:00 - 7:00 RECEPTION AT THE LAW SOCIETY OF UPPER CANADA

Schedule: Thursday, October 20

*Speed Dating: Organized around specific themes, Speed Dating sessions will allow many people to come together to share ideas, build connections and discuss common areas of work. 

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Schedule: Friday, October 21

Time Ballroom 1 Ballroom 2 Lombard Armoury8:30 – 9:30 Town Hall

Moderator: Grant Wedge (Law Society of Upper Canada)9:30 – 9:45 BREAK

9:45 – 11:00 Measuring Our Impact Info-graphics Storytelling & New Platforms for PLEI

11:00 – 11:15 BREAK

11:15 – 12:30 PLEI and A2J for Indigenous Communities

Critical Perspectives on Tech Solutions to A2J

Legal Education Roundtable: The User Perspective with Mandi Gray and Ellie Ade Kur

12:30 – 1:30 LUNCH PLE Guidelines consultation

Families Change Launch

1:30 – 3:00 Plenary #3: Good Work in Grey Areas: Access to Justice and the Line Be-tween Legal Information and Legal Advice

Panelists: Julie MacFarlane (University of Windsor), Malcolm Mercer (McCarthy Tétrault), Francisco Rico (FCJ Refugee Centre), Amy Wah (HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic)

Moderator: Julie Mathews (Community Legal Education Ontario)

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Notes

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Notes

LawConnect Ontario180 Dundas St West, Suite 505Toronto, Ontario

lawconnectontario.cainfo@lawconnectontario.ca @LawConnectON

The Action Group on Access to Justice Law Society of Upper Canada 130 Queen Street West Toronto, Ontario

416.947.3455 theactiongroup.ca tag@theactiongroup.ca @tagactiongroup

LawConnect Ontario is a collaboration between Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) and the Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN)

TAG - The Action Group on Access to is catalyzing solutions to Ontario’s access to justice challenges by facilitating collaboration with institutional, political and community stakeholders. It is funded by the Law Foundation of Ontario with support from the Law Society of Upper Canada.

TAG and LawConnect Ontario are grateful to the Law Foundation of Ontario for their generous support.