NEWS
4 Obiter Dicta
Access to Justice Advocate Series
Features Osgoode Hall’s Professor Janet Mosher
nabila khan & sabreena delhon ›
canadian forum on civil justice
I
n nov e m be r 201 4, the Canadian Forum
on Civil Justice launched a new series on the
A2 J blog titled Access to Justice Advocates.
The series is a response to recent reports that
have underscored the importance of innovation and
imagination in the pursuit of access to justice. At
CFCJ, we understand that such efforts come down to
people—to the diverse advocates working in different and important ways across the access to justice
landscape.
To learn more about these diverse perspectives,
the CFCJ has been visiting the offices of various
A2 J advocates across Toronto including Osgoode
Hall Law School’s Professor Janet Mosher. Professor
Mosher’s research and teaching at the law school
has focused on access to justice issues in a variety of
ways. Her work on the civil justice system and civil
justice reforms has dealt with issues facing socially
marginalized Canadians in accessing the system.
Her research has also dealt with violence against
women, school discipline, and pandemic planning
and homelessness – all of which underscore how
issues of access affect different populations and
involve vast areas of substantive law. Professor Janet
Mosher joined the Osgoode Hall faculty in 2001 after
teaching the Faculty of Law and Faculty of Social
Work at the University of Toronto, where she was
also the Director of the Combined LLB/MSW program. From 2001 to 2004, she was the Academic
Director of the Intensive Program in Poverty Law at
Parkdale Community Legal Services.
During her interview with CFCJ, Professor
Mosher shared key insights on her approach to
access to justice as a legal academic, highlighting
in particular the importance of forging relationships with advocates on the frontlines–those who
are directly involved with people experiencing gaps
in access to justice. This is integral in both learning about access to justice and conceptualizing the
related issues.
Professor Mosher discussed how working from
the intersection of research and frontline advocacy
offers a unique position in the access to justice landscape. Her conceptualization of access to justice
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redirects and diversifies advocacy. Instead of focusing exclusively on, for example, access to courts, she
promotes a broader consideration of the interconnections between justice, power and inequality.
To watch the full interview with Professor
Mosher, check out the A2J Blog in January at www.
cfcj-fcjc.org/a2jblog. Would you like to make a submission to the A2J Blog? Do you know an Access to
Justice Advocate? Let us know at communications@
cfcj-fcjc.org u
ê Osgoode Hall’s Professor Janet Mosher.
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