NEWS
6 Obiter Dicta
Introducing the Access to Justice Research
Network
nicole aylwin & lisa moore ›
canadian forum on civil justice
T
he Ca na di a n Forum on Civil Justice
(CFCJ) is a national non-profit organization
that is dedicated to access to justice research
and advocacy. The CFCJ was founded in
1998 and moved to Osgoode Hall Law School at York
University in 2011.
Earlier this year the CFCJ launched the Access
to Justice Research Network (AJRN), an interactive
online platform that invites the discussion and dissemination of research and news related to access to
justice issues in Canada and abroad.
Access to justice issues have frequented academic,
legal, political and mainstream debates for many years
yet, until now, there has been no identifiable, central platform in Canada where a wide range of justice
stakeholders can exchange research and resources,
raise questions, and share ideas and concerns about
access to justice issues. As Slaw blogger Karen Dyck
notes, there is “… innovation in access to justice happening everywhere…[but there is] little evidence of
either coordination or collaboration toward what
seems to be a common goal.”
In response to this need to coordinate and centralize access to justice related research, news, data and
discourse, the CFCJ launched the AJRN. Comprised of
a website and listserv, the AJRN coordinates the circulation of exciting new access to justice work happening across the country.
How does the AJRN work?
The goal of the AJRN is to stimulate dialogue and
knowledge exchange as well as to build ties among
access to justice researchers across the country.
It is an interactive space that counts among its
members, researchers, policy makers, legal professionals and other justice stakeholders committed to
A2J. The AJRN has two parts:
An email listserv that allows members to easily
connect and/or collaborate with other subscribers,
and engage in dialogue around critical A2J issues.
A website (www.ajrn.org) that acts as a “clearinghouse” for research and resources related to A2J.
While the website is curated by the CFCJ, the site’s
content is largely user-generated so the listserv provides a medium for an open exchange of links and
papers that are then shared publically on the AJRN
website.
ê Photo credit: cfcj-fcjc.org
The AJRN currently exists as a prototype with an
established mandate to:
Provide a medium for the timely transfer of access
to justice research and findings to legal scholars, lawyers, policy makers and A2J stakeholders.
Serve as an organized database for content and
publications on access to justice issues.
Create an accessible forum for conv ersations and
knowledge exchange on access to justice matters.
What topics are addressed through the
AJRN?
The AJRN already boasts an impressive array of
resources on online dispute resolution, legal service
delivery, innovative partnerships and collaborations,
legal education, alternative dispute resolution, and
many more. Some of the more recent posts deal with
poverty law, health literacy and legal capability, and
the post-election debate over legal aid in the UK.
The AJRN welcomes network members to circulate:
• Research papers
• Policy reports
• News articles
• Links to websites
• Calls for papers, and
• Any other resources they think will enhance work
in the A2J arena.
t humbs down
Randy Quaid arrested in Montreal (again).
The disclaimer, of course, is that the resource should
be related directly to A2J!
The ultimate goal of the AJRN is to create a community of justice stakeholders who are committed to
improving access to justice in Canada. The move to
create the AJRN and the launch of its prototype has
been supported by a generous grant from the Law
Foundation of BC/Legal Services Society Research
Fund.
Please join us as we work to build a vibrant and
energetic A2J Community! We look forward to connecting with you to share, discuss and collaborate on
access to justice issues!
To join the listserv, send an email to [email protected] with “AJRN subscribe” indicated
in the subject line.
To follow the AJRN blog, visit the website and click
the “Follow” button on the site’s landing page.
For general information about the AJRN, visit the
website at: ajrn.org
*Parts of this article originally appeared online at
www.slaw.ca u