Obiter Dicta Issue 2 - September 15, 2014 | Page 6

NEWS 6  Obiter Dicta The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice Get to know the cfcj on campus hannah de jong › communications assistant, cfcj T he ca na dia n forum on Civil Justice is a national non-profit organization based at Osgoode Hall Law School, with the mandate of making the civil justice system more accessible, effective, and sustainable through research and advocacy. We’re happy to be a part of the thriving academic community at Osgoode, inspiring students to be passionate about access to justice. Our nation is in a current state of crisis – Canadians are not getting access to the justice they need. For example, did you know that taking just a two-day civil action to trial costs between $13,500 and $37,200? Canadians today are struggling to access justice as the costs of legal services and length of legal proceedings climb steadily upwards. Our current major initiative is a national “Cost of Justice” survey which seeks to discover how much justice is costing Canadians in terms of money, health, time, and other costs. The project recently completed data collection for over 3000 respondents. Over 35% of people reported stress, health, family, and/or social issues as a result of experiencing legal problems. Over a three-year period, over 50% of adults reported experiencing one or more legal problems. The most common problems were related to consumer, debt, and employment issues. We look forward to sharing more findings from the survey in the coming months. The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice has a regular column in Obiter Dicta to provide the latest news, events, and information on access to justice issues. If you would like to be involved with the CFCJ, we are looking for submissions for our “Access to Justice” blog. Contact us at [email protected] if you have a topic idea or would like to contribute! t humbs UP Ferguson officers now equipped with body cameras instead of guns. reimbursement policy We invite submissions on virtually any subject, but we will offer reimbursements of up to $20 for reviews of local events, films, or the pub you were at last night. If contributors wish to take advantage of our reimbursement program, please submit your pitches to the Editorial Board for approval first. In order to be eligible, contributors must submit receipts of any expenses they seek reimbursement for. The number of reimbursement offered per issue is limited, and will be approved on a first-come-first-serve basis. We are also happy to apply for media accreditation for events that require it. Stronger roots lead to greater growth Are you looking for a challenging and stimulating environment where you can roll up your sleeves and dig in to the business of law? Come and put down roots with Lerners. With over 80 years of experience, we’ve grown to be one of Ontario’s leading law firms. We’ve nurtured the professional and personal growth of hundreds of students. Let us help you maximize your talents and energies so you can become the best lawyer you can be! The CFCJ is located at Osgoode in 3015. Want more information about access to justice issues and CFCJ’s work? You can “like” our Facebook page at www. facebook.com/theCFCJ, follow us on Twitter @CFCJ_ FCJC, or visit our webpage at www.cfcj-fcjc.org. ◆ To get the whole picture, visit www.lerners.ca. London Tel. [phone] Fax. [phone] Dufferin Avenue, P.O. Box 2335 London, ON N6A 4G4 Toronto Tel. [phone] Fax. [phone]-130 Adelaide Street West Toronto, ON M5H 3P5 www.lerners.ca L AW Y E R S