Join the Chief Justice and Chief Judge of BC and a former self-represented litigant in a live Twitter Town Hall about the progress, opportunities and challenges in the Access to Justice (A2J) movement on Monday, October 28, 2019 from noon to 2:00 pm!
It’s a unique opportunity for law students, lawyers and others interested in access to justice to participate in a live discussion with Chief Justice Bauman, Chief Judge Gillespie and former self-represented litigant Jennifer Muller by using the hashtag #A2JChatBC on Twitter.
They want to hear about:
- the progress you’re seeing - What’s working? Where do you see change happening? What have you done that’s making a difference? What have you tried that you’ve learned from?
- the opportunities the A2J movement offers – What doors has it opened for you? How has innovation improved your practice – or your satisfaction? How are you using legal tech to improve access to justice? And how would you like to use it?
- the challenges you face when trying to improve access to justice - What’s getting in your way? What could make it easier? How have you overcome an obstacle?
As members of Access To Justice BC (A2JBC), the Chiefs and Ms. Muller are particularly interested in hearing about ideas and experiences that are collaborative, user-focused, experimental and evidence-based, the approach adopted by Access to Justice BC to justice system reform. And they’ll share with you their observations of changes underway and what more needs to be done.
Access to Justice Week BC
The Twitter Town Hall will kick off Access To Justice Week BC – October 28 to November 2. Designed primarily to engage law students and legal professionals, the week will offer a variety of events focusing on the access to justice crisis in BC and the momentum underway towards solutions.
Throughout the week students and faculty at UBC’s Allard School of Law, the University of Victoria’s Faculty of Law, and the Faculty of Law at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops will be presenting workshops, panel discussions and other events, including the Self Represented Litigants Game, to plant the seeds of change and inspire students to join the access to justice movement.
Twitter Town Hall panel
Chief Judge Gillespie will be hosting Chief Justice Bauman and Ms. Muller on the Provincial Court’s Twitter account, @BCProvCourt.
Chief Justice Bauman knows the BC justice system well – he practised law in Prince George, Kelowna and Vancouver and was a trial judge in the BC Supreme Court, before being appointed to the Court of Appeal. Passionate about improving access to justice throughout the province, in 2015 he was instrumental in forming Access To Justice BC, a network of justice system stakeholders and representatives of other sectors dedicated to meaningful change in the BC civil and family justice system. A strong believer in open and accessible courts, the Chief Justice is known for his ability to explain decisions in short paragraphs and plain language.
Chief Judge Gillespie is a member of A2JBC’s Leadership Group and Steering Committee. Before being appointed a judge in 2012, she worked as Crown counsel, prosecuting criminal offences, and served as Regional Crown for the Fraser Region. Chief Judge Gillespie has been active in education programs for judges, lawyers, law students and other justice system stakeholders, as well as in a project to strengthen the criminal justice system in Guyana. Appointed Chief Judge in 2018, she is committed to the Provincial Court’s vision of providing an accessible, fair, efficient and innovative system of justice for the benefit of the public.
Jennifer Muller knows first-hand the frustrations of representing yourself in court – she was a self represented litigant (SRL) in the BC Supreme Court for several interim hearings and a nine day trial. Ms. Muller represents the public on the A2JBC Steering Committee and chairs its Engagement Committee. A District Counsellor with the North Vancouver School District, she has a masters degree in Human Learning and Counselling Psychology and has taught in the UBC Faculty of Education as a sessional instructor. She serves on the Advisory Board of the National Self-Represented Litigants Project (NSRLP).
All three panel members are looking forward to discussing access to justice with you. However, they cannot comment on individual cases.
Spread the word! Join us for the BC Provincial Court’s Access to Justice Twitter Town Hall! If you’re not available on October 28, tweet #A2JChatBC or email TwitterTownHall@provincialcourt.bc.ca beforehand.
