Mon 31 Jan 2022
Access To Justice Week 2022
Posted by mbcstaff
Access to Justice Week BC (February 7-11) aims to inspire engagement in the access to justice movement and to plant the seeds of change to benefit all Canadians.
This is an excellent week to learn more about the access to justice crisis, learn about what initiatives are currently underway, and contemplate how you might want to be involved in improving access to justice in British Columbia. You can also learn more at a2jweekbc.ca and through the #A2JWeek2022 hashtag on social media.
Mediate BC Events
"Ask a Mediator" at one of our Virtual Pro Bono Clinics
Members of the public often call to learn more about their options for resolving conflicts, including mediation, and to ask questions about a specific conflict in their life. You can ask these questions directly to a professional roster mediator at one of our free virtual "Ask a Mediator" clinics. These clinics are usually on the first Wednesday of the month, but we have added a special second clinic during Access to Justice Week.
- Wednesday February 2: 2:00-4:00pm
- Monday February 7: 5:00-7:00pm
Typical questions include determining whether mediation or another process would be appropriate, how to talk to the other party about going to mediation, what to do if the other person doesn't want to mediate, cost and timelines, and resources that are available. You can make an appointment ahead of time or drop in. Appointments are typically half an hour. Learn more at: https://www.mediatebc.com/learn/pro-bono-clinics. Join the "Ask a Mediator" clinic here: https://zoom.us/j/92484027902 you can also email info@mediatebc.com with any questions.
Other Access to Justice Week Events
Keynote Speaker Jordan Furlong
Feb 9 | 4:30-6:00pm
In celebration of Access to Justice Week BC, join your colleagues for this pivotal session.
It is now apparent that the opportunities and demands facing 21st-century lawyers differ fundamentally from those that preceding generations encountered. Leading these opportunities and demands is the crystallizing crisis in access to justice. We must redefine the knowledge, skills, and attributes required of tomorrow’s and today’s lawyers, equipping them with a new and better set of competencies with which to tackle the Access to Justice problem and every other challenge of this century.
Legal sector analyst Jordan Furlong will deliver a keynote presentation that frames the overarching problem, describes the 21st-century lawyer competence profile, and explains how every stakeholder in the legal profession can use these new competencies to help address the access predicament. In the second half of the event, BC lawyers will join Jordan to discuss these developments in current practice.
Representing Clients Impacted by Coercive Mental Health
and Substance Use Health Laws
Feb 22, 2022 | 12:30 - 1:30pm
Every day in BC people experience a loss of liberty or other fundamental rights through civil mental health and substance use health laws. But barriers to accessing legal representation have contributed to a significant access to justice crisis. Join Health Justice for the launch of a Legal Research and Resource Guide, generated to assist lawyers and advocates representing people facing detention and coercive mental health and substance use health care in BC.
This 1hr webinar will provide an overview of substantive law and procedures in some of the most relevant contexts, including the Health Care (Consent) and Care Facility (Admission) Act, the Mental Health Act, the Adult Guardianship Act, the Human Rights Code, and seeking remedies for detention. Participants in this webinar may claim up to 1hr CPD with LSBC.
Supporting Self Represented Litigants in Provincial Court: Resources and Q&A
Feb 24, 2022 | 12:45 - 1:45pm
In this 1-hr interactive webinar, BC Provincial Court (BCPC) judges will showcase some of the resources available for litigants navigating proceedings in the BCPC. Topics will include information on the type of matters the BCPC handles, how to prepare for court appearances both in-person and virtually, and resources to assist litigants in preparing documents for court. This will be followed by a Q&A period. Our panel will include Chief Judge Gillespie, Judge Ferriss and Judge Mundstock.
Intermediaries and advocates who assist clients with BCPC matters, public librarians, law students and general practitioners are all welcome to attend. We strongly encourage registrants to submit questions in advance to help inform the presentation and to make sure we can get to as many questions as possible during this session. Advance questions can be submitted up until February 18th using this link.