Our final episode for this season focuses on the campaign to ban the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) being led by Dr. Julie Macfarlane and Zelda Perkins. Named “Can’t Buy My Silence,” Julie and Zelda’s campaign aims to bring new law into effect in both Canada and the UK to stop victims being forced to exchange their own privacy for protecting their abuser in cases of harassment, discrimination, and bullying, and to stop employers (including schools, universities, and churches as well as both unionized and non-unionized workplaces) using NDAs to secretly “pass-the-trash” to other employers.Julie talks with Dayna about how she and Zelda met and planned the campaign, both motivated by their personal experiences of NDAs: Zelda with the notorious Harvey Weinstein, and Julie who saw a colleague terminated for harassment protected by an NDA (and a letter of recommendation) from the University of Windsor.Stacey Buchholzer, the campaign coordinator, closes out the podcast by reading from a selection of the many stories that have been submitted to the campaign, illustrating the trauma experienced from being first subjected to unfairness and misconduct, and then permanently silenced.The campaign website includes a lot of public legal information about NDAs. You can also listen to Julie’s conversation with Zelda from last season, before they launched their campaign, in which Zelda describes how she broke her NDA with Weinstein and brought this issue into public discussion, which she has continued ever since. In Other News: This week our In Other News Correspondent is Research Assistant Charlotte Sullivan. Charlotte discusses: a Toronto-based legal clinic’s recent challenge against caps on damages awarded in claims involving the Canadian Human Rights Act; and Chief Justice Jacques Fournier of the Québec Superior Court’s recent decision to step down from the bench at the age of 71, and some interesting comments he made regarding access to justice in the COVID-19 pandemic context.For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/cant-buy-my-silence/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Charlotte Sullivan; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

Our final episode for this season focuses on the campaign to ban the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) being led by Dr. Julie Macfarlane and Zelda Perkins. Named “Can’t Buy My Silence,” Julie and Zelda’s campaign aims to bring new law into effect in both Canada and the UK to stop victims being forced to exchange their own privacy for protecting their abuser in cases of harassment, discrimination, and bullying, and to stop employers (including schools, universities, and churches as well as both unionized and non-unionized workplaces) using NDAs to secretly “pass-the-trash” to other employers. Julie talks with Dayna about how she and Zelda met and planned the campaign, both motivated by their personal experiences of NDAs: Zelda with the notorious Harvey Weinstein, and Julie who saw a colleague terminated for harassment protected by an NDA (and a letter of recommendation) from the University of Windsor. Stacey Buchholzer, the campaign coordinator, closes out the podcast by reading from a selection of the many stories that have been submitted to the campaign, illustrating the trauma experienced from being first subjected to unfairness and misconduct, and then permanently silenced. The campaign website includes a lot of public legal information about NDAs. You can also listen to Julie’s conversation with Zelda from last season, before they launched their campaign, in which Zelda describes how she broke her NDA with Weinstein and brought this issue into public discussion, which she has continued ever since. In Other News: This week our In Other News Correspondent is Research Assistant Charlotte Sullivan. Charlotte discusses: a Toronto-based legal clinic’s recent challenge against caps on damages awarded in claims involving the Canadian Human Rights Act; and Chief Justice Jacques Fournier of the Québec Superior Court’s recent decision to step down from the bench at the age of 71, and some interesting comments he made regarding access to justice in the COVID-19 pandemic context. For related links and more on this episode visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/cant-buy-my-silence/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/cant-buy-my-silence/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Charlotte Sullivan; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

Can't Buy My Silence

In today’s episode, Julie talks to Bernie Mayer and Jackie Font-Guzmán about the ideas they explore in their new book, The Neutrality Trap: Disrupting and Connecting for Social Change (Wiley, 2022).Two long-time mediators and mediation teachers, Bernie and Jackie describe their growing disillusionment with the way mediation is sometimes offered to family and other litigants: as a panacea that will smooth over rough edges and produce an “agreement,” which will be able to resolve underlying differences. Bernie and Jackie both speak to their personal experience of conflicts that reflect larger societal power differences and systems, and reflect on the danger that a more superficial, “make nice” approach reinforces existing inequalities and injustices. Going behind the headlines (“he is a monster!” “she is impossible!”), while messy, uncomfortable, and often worse, can produce a more realistic path for moving forward, and allows each party to explore their own truth.Bernie Mayer was a founding partner of CDR Associates, and has provided conflict intervention for families, communities, universities, corporations, and governmental agencies throughout North America and internationally for over 35 years. Bernie is Emeritus Professor of Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Creighton University. He has worked in child welfare, mental health, substance abuse treatment, and psychotherapy. His earlier books include: Beyond Neutrality, and The Conflict Paradox.Jackie Font-Guzmán is the inaugural Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Eastern Mennonite University. Previously she was professor of conflict and peacebuilding at Creighton University. Jackie has provided mediation, facilitation, and consulting services to many international and transnational organizations. She previously worked in law and health policy.In Other News: This week our In Other News Correspondent is Research Assistant Charlotte Sullivan. Charlotte discusses: a news release from the Department of Justice on advancing reconciliation through addressing the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system in Canada; and a recent access to justice study showing an exponential increase in dismissals of race-based cases by the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/does-making-nice-make-it-worse/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Charlotte Sullivan; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

In today’s episode, Julie talks to Bernie Mayer and Jackie Font-Guzmán about the ideas they explore in their new book, The Neutrality Trap: Disrupting and Connecting for Social Change (Wiley, 2022). Two long-time mediators and mediation teachers, Bernie and Jackie describe their growing disillusionment with the way mediation is sometimes offered to family and other litigants: as a panacea that will smooth over rough edges and produce an “agreement,” which will be able to resolve underlying differences. Bernie and Jackie both speak to their personal experience of conflicts that reflect larger societal power differences and systems, and reflect on the danger that a more superficial, “make nice” approach reinforces existing inequalities and injustices. Going behind the headlines (“he is a monster!” “she is impossible!”), while messy, uncomfortable, and often worse, can produce a more realistic path for moving forward, and allows each party to explore their own truth. Bernie Mayer was a founding partner of CDR Associates, and has provided conflict intervention for families, communities, universities, corporations, and governmental agencies throughout North America and internationally for over 35 years. Bernie is Emeritus Professor of Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Creighton University. He has worked in child welfare, mental health, substance abuse treatment, and psychotherapy. His earlier books include: Beyond Neutrality, and The Conflict Paradox. Jackie Font-Guzmán is the inaugural Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Eastern Mennonite University. Previously she was professor of conflict and peacebuilding at Creighton University. Jackie has provided mediation, facilitation, and consulting services to many international and transnational organizations. She previously worked in law and health policy. In Other News: This week our In Other News Correspondent is Research Assistant Charlotte Sullivan. Charlotte discusses: a news release from the Department of Justice on advancing reconciliation through addressing the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system in Canada; and a recent access to justice study showing an exponential increase in dismissals of race-based cases by the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. For related links and more on this episode visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/does-making-nice-make-it-worse/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/does-making-nice-make-it-worse/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Charlotte Sullivan; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

Does Making Nice Make it Worse?

The vast majority of self-represented litigants cannot afford full representation in legal services – and yet most of them are continuing to search for assistance that is affordable to them. In this episode, Julie speaks with Marcus Sixta, of CrossRoads Law, about his pioneering legal coaching practice, Coach My Case. Marcus is a leading innovator in the development of legal services that are tailored to client needs and pocket books, such as offering different tiers of assistance and working collaboratively to assess and meet needs. He believes in utilizing the skills of paralegals and lawyers, as well as a range of services, from procedural navigation, to issue identification, to hearings coaching. Leona Harvie, who provides the reflection in this episode, is a former self-represented litigant who now works as a divorce coach, providing support and legal information to family law clients. She can be found at letstalkdivorcecanada.com and on Instagram where her handle is letstalkdivorcecanada. NSRLP has been developing a National Directory of Professionals Assisting Self-Represented Litigants since 2016; it contains the names and details of professionals across the country who offer legal coaching.In Other News: This week our In Other News Correspondent is Research Assistant Charlotte Sullivan. This week Charlotte discusses: the Attorney General of British Columbia announcing new rules of procedure for the British Columbia Court of Appeal; a piece on parental relocation cases in family law; and the controversial Bill 96, recently passed by the National Assembly of Québec.For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/you-drive-the-bus-with-a-coach-in-your-corner/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Charlotte Sullivan; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

The vast majority of self-represented litigants cannot afford full representation in legal services – and yet most of them are continuing to search for assistance that is affordable to them. In this episode, Julie speaks with Marcus Sixta, of CrossRoads Law, about his pioneering legal coaching practice, Coach My Case. Marcus is a leading innovator in the development of legal services that are tailored to client needs and pocket books, such as offering different tiers of assistance and working collaboratively to assess and meet needs. He believes in utilizing the skills of paralegals and lawyers, as well as a range of services, from procedural navigation, to issue identification, to hearings coaching. Leona Harvie, who provides the reflection in this episode, is a former self-represented litigant who now works as a divorce coach, providing support and legal information to family law clients. She can be found at <a href="http://letstalkdivorcecanada.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">letstalkdivorcecanada.com</a> and on Instagram where her handle is letstalkdivorcecanada. NSRLP has been developing a National Directory of Professionals Assisting Self-Represented Litigants since 2016; it contains the names and details of professionals across the country who offer legal coaching. In Other News: This week our In Other News Correspondent is Research Assistant Charlotte Sullivan. This week Charlotte discusses: the Attorney General of British Columbia announcing new rules of procedure for the British Columbia Court of Appeal; a piece on parental relocation cases in family law; and the controversial Bill 96, recently passed by the National Assembly of Québec. For related links and more on this episode visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/you-drive-the-bus-with-a-coach-in-your-corner/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/you-drive-the-bus-with-a-coach-in-your-corner/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Charlotte Sullivan; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

You Drive the Bus - With a Coach in Your Corner

Since the murder of George Floyd and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement there has been a new focus on the development of anti-Black racism training, and education on the impact of racism on our lives, relationships, and beliefs. Moya McAlister and Siddika Jessa are both creating workshops and safe spaces for conversation and education on race and racism. In this episode, Julie asks them how they manage these (often) uncomfortable discussions and interactions in a way that deepens our understanding of our own assumptions and biases, and gives us all the chance to rethink and do better.Moya McAlister is Communications Manager for NSRLP. She is also Board Director of Black Women of Forward Action, a Windsor-based group that advocates for anti-Black racism initiatives at a community and municipal level, and supports Black women entrepreneurs and students. Moya was previously featured in our episode, “Living Black Lives.” Siddika Jessa has also previously taken part in the podcast, for the episode, “The Courage of Your Convictions,” when she described how some members of her community responded to her son’s same-sex marriage. Since then, Siddika has founded WiderLens, which delivers training workshops in the faith community, as well as the corporate and not-for-profit sectors. Wider Lens focuses on training in communication, emotional intelligence, anti-racism, and diversity.In Other News: This week our In Other News Correspondent is Research Assistant Shannon Meikle. This week Shannon discusses: the Ontario government’s plan to combine courthouses in North York, Etobicoke, and Scarborough; an update to the discussion surrounding the LSO’s ability to facilitate justice; and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice’s appointment of three new judges, all women.For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/talking-about-racism-is-uncomfortable-and-necessary/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Shannon Meikle; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

Since the murder of George Floyd and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement there has been a new focus on the development of anti-Black racism training, and education on the impact of racism on our lives, relationships, and beliefs. Moya McAlister and Siddika Jessa are both creating workshops and safe spaces for conversation and education on race and racism. In this episode, Julie asks them how they manage these (often) uncomfortable discussions and interactions in a way that deepens our understanding of our own assumptions and biases, and gives us all the chance to rethink and do better. Moya McAlister is Communications Manager for NSRLP. She is also Board Director of Black Women of Forward Action, a Windsor-based group that advocates for anti-Black racism initiatives at a community and municipal level, and supports Black women entrepreneurs and students. Moya was previously featured in our episode, “Living Black Lives.” Siddika Jessa has also previously taken part in the podcast, for the episode, “The Courage of Your Convictions,” when she described how some members of her community responded to her son’s same-sex marriage. Since then, Siddika has founded WiderLens, which delivers training workshops in the faith community, as well as the corporate and not-for-profit sectors. Wider Lens focuses on training in communication, emotional intelligence, anti-racism, and diversity. In Other News: This week our In Other News Correspondent is Research Assistant Shannon Meikle. This week Shannon discusses: the Ontario government’s plan to combine courthouses in North York, Etobicoke, and Scarborough; an update to the discussion surrounding the LSO’s ability to facilitate justice; and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice’s appointment of three new judges, all women. For related links and more on this episode visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/talking-about-racism-is-uncomfortable-and-necessary/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/talking-about-racism-is-uncomfortable-and-necessary/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Shannon Meikle; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

Talking About Racism is Uncomfortable - And Necessary

This week Julie talks with our new Executive Director, Jennifer Leitch! You can read more about Jennifer on our website, including Moya McAlister’s blog interview with her. That post, as well as today’s episode, delves into why Jennifer made the radical career switch from commercial litigator with a big Bay Street law firm to Access to Justice advocate, and now Director of NSRLP. Jennifer expands on her thinking about the future, both for the legal system and for the NSRLP, and conveys a sense of urgency, practicality, and also, crucially, vision.Jennifer’s conversation with Julie is prefaced by comments from three SRLs (Jennifer Muller, Jeff Rose-Martland, and Karin Turkington) who describe why NSRLP is important, what qualities the Director needs, and what their challenges are likely to be. In Other News: This week our In Other News Correspondent is Research Assistant Shannon Meikle. This week Shannon discusses: a recent article calling for the LSO to be held publicly accountable for its actions, even if that means dissolution or reform; legislation recently passed in the Yukon seeking to improve outcomes for children, youth, and families involved with the child welfare system, as well as address the over-representation of Indigenous children and youth in care; and the province of Manitoba being awarded $1.6 million dollars in funding to implement provisions to make court documents in divorce proceedings available in both official languages.For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/nsrlps-new-captain/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Shannon Meikle; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

This week Julie talks with our new Executive Director, Jennifer Leitch! You can read more about Jennifer on our website, including Moya McAlister’s blog interview with her. That post, as well as today’s episode, delves into why Jennifer made the radical career switch from commercial litigator with a big Bay Street law firm to Access to Justice advocate, and now Director of NSRLP. Jennifer expands on her thinking about the future, both for the legal system and for the NSRLP, and conveys a sense of urgency, practicality, and also, crucially, vision. Jennifer’s conversation with Julie is prefaced by comments from three SRLs (Jennifer Muller, Jeff Rose-Martland, and Karin Turkington) who describe why NSRLP is important, what qualities the Director needs, and what their challenges are likely to be. In Other News: This week our In Other News Correspondent is Research Assistant Shannon Meikle. This week Shannon discusses: a recent article calling for the LSO to be held publicly accountable for its actions, even if that means dissolution or reform; legislation recently passed in the Yukon seeking to improve outcomes for children, youth, and families involved with the child welfare system, as well as address the over-representation of Indigenous children and youth in care; and the province of Manitoba being awarded $1.6 million dollars in funding to implement provisions to make court documents in divorce proceedings available in both official languages. For related links and more on this episode visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/nsrlps-new-captain/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/nsrlps-new-captain/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Shannon Meikle; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

NSRLP's New Captain

Following the recent Ontario decision in Ahluwalia, which established a new tort of family violence, this episode explores the work of two women and two organizations working to try to protect victims of violence. Deepa Mattoo, Executive Director of the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic in Toronto, speaks to Julie about what the Clinic does to serve marginalized and vulnerable women and the range of services they offer to help rebuild lives, as well as her ideas for ways that an over-stretched system could work better and serve more people. Reflecting on Deepa’s interview, Humera Jabir of West Coast LEAF talks about her work on test case litigation and other strategies to try to expand support and legal assistance to those experiencing family violence, especially single parents. In Other News: This week our In Other News Correspondent is Research Assistant Shannon Meikle. This week Shannon discusses: new family law legislation from Nova Scotia, the Superior Court of Justice announcement about a partial in-person return to court hearings for family lawyers, and Chief Justice Richard Wagner’s statement that he’s “enormously preoccupied” with the access to justice issues that arise out of Canadians being forced to self-represent at the Supreme Court.For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/confronting-family-violence/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Shannon Meikle; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

Following the recent Ontario decision in Ahluwalia, which established a new tort of family violence, this episode explores the work of two women and two organizations working to try to protect victims of violence. Deepa Mattoo, Executive Director of the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic in Toronto, speaks to Julie about what the Clinic does to serve marginalized and vulnerable women and the range of services they offer to help rebuild lives, as well as her ideas for ways that an over-stretched system could work better and serve more people. Reflecting on Deepa’s interview, Humera Jabir of West Coast LEAF talks about her work on test case litigation and other strategies to try to expand support and legal assistance to those experiencing family violence, especially single parents. In Other News: This week our In Other News Correspondent is Research Assistant Shannon Meikle. This week Shannon discusses: new family law legislation from Nova Scotia, the Superior Court of Justice announcement about a partial in-person return to court hearings for family lawyers, and Chief Justice Richard Wagner’s statement that he’s “enormously preoccupied” with the access to justice issues that arise out of Canadians being forced to self-represent at the Supreme Court. For related links and more on this episode visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/confronting-family-violence/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/confronting-family-violence/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Shannon Meikle; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

Confronting Family Violence

Ilana Luther is the Director of our newest chapter, NSRLP East, based in the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University in Halifax. NSRLP East has been in existence for just under a year, but has already achieved a lot (check out their website!) and is reaching out to SRLs across Atlantic Canada in order to highlight their particular issues and challenges. Ilana is an Advisory Board member for the national NSRLP organization, and works closely with national staff to plan and prioritize goals and strategies. This conversation introduces listeners to Ilana, and her commitment to policy reform after beginning in legal practice and becoming disillusioned with, as she puts it, “pushing people through a broken system.” Ilana describes how she first recognized the disconnect between system and users when she worked in child protection; she has since gone on to work in many areas of law reform as the Director of the Access to Justice and Law Reform Institute, adding Director of NSRLP East to her busy resume in the summer of 2021. We’re excited to introduce you to Ilana and to NSRLP East!In Other News: This week our In Other News Correspondent is Research Assistant Charlotte Sullivan. Charlotte discusses: a piece from the Law Times on the recent debate in Ontario regarding a minimum wage for articling students; a story from the Lawyer’s Daily on a historic first at the Supreme Court of Canada: an intervention by Nunavut Legal Aid; and a story from Slaw about a new tort of family violence in Ontario following the ground-breaking case of Ahluwalia v Ahluwalia.For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/proudly-introducing-nsrlp-east/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Charlotte Sullivan; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

Ilana Luther is the Director of our newest chapter, NSRLP East, based in the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University in Halifax. NSRLP East has been in existence for just under a year, but has already achieved a lot (check out their website!) and is reaching out to SRLs across Atlantic Canada in order to highlight their particular issues and challenges. Ilana is an Advisory Board member for the national NSRLP organization, and works closely with national staff to plan and prioritize goals and strategies. This conversation introduces listeners to Ilana, and her commitment to policy reform after beginning in legal practice and becoming disillusioned with, as she puts it, “pushing people through a broken system.” Ilana describes how she first recognized the disconnect between system and users when she worked in child protection; she has since gone on to work in many areas of law reform as the Director of the Access to Justice and Law Reform Institute, adding Director of NSRLP East to her busy resume in the summer of 2021. We’re excited to introduce you to Ilana and to NSRLP East! In Other News: This week our In Other News Correspondent is Research Assistant Charlotte Sullivan. Charlotte discusses: a piece from the Law Times on the recent debate in Ontario regarding a minimum wage for articling students; a story from the Lawyer’s Daily on a historic first at the Supreme Court of Canada: an intervention by Nunavut Legal Aid; and a story from Slaw about a new tort of family violence in Ontario following the ground-breaking case of Ahluwalia v Ahluwalia. For related links and more on this episode visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/proudly-introducing-nsrlp-east/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/proudly-introducing-nsrlp-east/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Charlotte Sullivan; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

Proudly Introducing NSRLP East

This episode of Jumping Off the Ivory Tower features Julie’s conversation with Teresa Donnelly, the Treasurer of the Law Society of Ontario and the leader of Ontario’s legal profession elected by its “Convocation” or parliament.Teresa has a background as a prosecutor with the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General, where she was a member of the Sexual Violence Advisory Group whose work focused on sexual violence prosecutions and on improving the victim’s experience in the criminal justice system. Her commitment to a fairer criminal justice system and her consciousness of the impact of trauma on mental health – for lawyers as well as survivors of violence – are reflected both in her conversation with Julie and in her priorities as Treasurer. Teresa is also the leader of the Ontario profession at a time where there is a special focus on regulation, and some moves towards expansion of licensing: a sandbox for innovative tech legal services, paralegals offering some family services alongside lawyers (the subject of ongoing argument and resistance from the Family Bar), and just what the role of the regulator should be in controlling the space in which legal services are offered.  In Other News: Welcome to another new Other News “correspondent”: NSRLP Research Assistant and law student Shannon Meikle!This week Shannon discusses: a new Family Violence law tort that has been established at the Ontario Superior Court thanks to an SRL who argued she deserved additional damages for the spousal abuse she suffered throughout her marriage; and, a new petition before the House of Commons that seeks to hold judges accountable for their mistakes.For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/leading-the-ontario-legal-profession/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Shannon Meikle; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

This episode of Jumping Off the Ivory Tower features Julie’s conversation with Teresa Donnelly, the Treasurer of the Law Society of Ontario and the leader of Ontario’s legal profession elected by its “Convocation” or parliament. Teresa has a background as a prosecutor with the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General, where she was a member of the Sexual Violence Advisory Group whose work focused on sexual violence prosecutions and on improving the victim’s experience in the criminal justice system. Her commitment to a fairer criminal justice system and her consciousness of the impact of trauma on mental health – for lawyers as well as survivors of violence – are reflected both in her conversation with Julie and in her priorities as Treasurer. Teresa is also the leader of the Ontario profession at a time where there is a special focus on regulation, and some moves towards expansion of licensing: a sandbox for innovative tech legal services, paralegals offering some family services alongside lawyers (the subject of ongoing argument and resistance from the Family Bar), and just what the role of the regulator should be in controlling the space in which legal services are offered. In Other News: Welcome to another new Other News “correspondent”: NSRLP Research Assistant and law student Shannon Meikle! This week Shannon discusses: a new Family Violence law tort that has been established at the Ontario Superior Court thanks to an SRL who argued she deserved additional damages for the spousal abuse she suffered throughout her marriage; and, a new petition before the House of Commons that seeks to hold judges accountable for their mistakes. For related links and more on this episode visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/leading-the-ontario-legal-profession/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/leading-the-ontario-legal-profession/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Shannon Meikle; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

Leading the Ontario Legal Profession

Welcome to season 7 of Jumping Off the Ivory Tower! For our season opener, (and our 75th episode!) we’re featuring a conversation with three Law Practice Program candidates – “almost” lawyers – who, along with their classmates, participated in two extended sessions with a group of almost 20 self-represented litigants in the fall of 2021. This was NSRLP’s first in-school program to include self-reps in a small group, discussion-based exploration of their experiences in the legal system. Judging by the comments of both the candidates and the self-reps, the program (developed by NSRLP along with Chris Bentley, LPP Director), was an outstanding success. Julie’s conversation with Jesse Frohlich, Laurene Williams and Zainab Asadullah reveals the insights and new understandings they discovered as a result of their structured conversations with up to four different self-reps.In Other News: Welcome to one of our new Other News “correspondents,” NSRLP Research Assistant and law student Charlotte Sullivan! This week Charlotte discusses: a piece from the Law Times on expanding access to remote hearing technologies; and the recent proposal by the Law Society of Ontario to expand Family Legal Services Provider Licences to paralegals for certain specified services. (Unlike Ms. Boulby, NSRLP supports this proposal. We have posted extensively about this issue – see below for links to more information.)For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/a-new-generation-of-lawyers/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Charlotte Sullivan; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

Welcome to season 7 of Jumping Off the Ivory Tower! For our season opener, (and our 75th episode!) we’re featuring a conversation with three Law Practice Program candidates – “almost” lawyers – who, along with their classmates, participated in two extended sessions with a group of almost 20 self-represented litigants in the fall of 2021. This was NSRLP’s first in-school program to include self-reps in a small group, discussion-based exploration of their experiences in the legal system. Judging by the comments of both the candidates and the self-reps, the program (developed by NSRLP along with Chris Bentley, LPP Director), was an outstanding success. Julie’s conversation with Jesse Frohlich, Laurene Williams and Zainab Asadullah reveals the insights and new understandings they discovered as a result of their structured conversations with up to four different self-reps. In Other News: Welcome to one of our new Other News “correspondents,” NSRLP Research Assistant and law student Charlotte Sullivan! This week Charlotte discusses: a piece from the Law Times on expanding access to remote hearing technologies; and the recent proposal by the Law Society of Ontario to expand Family Legal Services Provider Licences to paralegals for certain specified services. (Unlike Ms. Boulby, NSRLP supports this proposal. We have posted extensively about this issue – see below for links to more information.) For related links and more on this episode visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/a-new-generation-of-lawyers/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/a-new-generation-of-lawyers/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Charlotte Sullivan; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

A New Generation of Lawyers

Today’s season finale was a labour of love! Working with guests ages 4 and up is, well, challenging, for both interviewer (Julie) and production editor (Brauntë). But it was well worth it!For this episode, Julie talked with Ryann, Quinlan, Ava, Wyatt, Ezzo, and Jennah (occasionally interrupted by younger sister Emma), along with their moms (who we tried to keep out of the conversation…) about whether they could remember before the pandemic (no, or only sort-of), what it’s like to wear a mask all the time, how online schooling can be both fun and frustrating (mostly frustrating), and what it’s like to spend all day every day at home with your parents and siblings. Julie also talked with 12-year-old Uma for a more measured, reflective take on the same questions.For our outro, we asked Jennifer Muller, an NSRLP Advisory Board member, past podcast guest (in fact, Jennifer kicked off this season, and she was our first ever podcast guest!), and access to justice advocate, to comment on what the kids said about their experience of lockdown and pandemic . Jennifer is also a K-12 schools counsellor for the North Vancouver School Board and has been listening to kids talk about the pandemic and its impact on them for the past 16 months. We had a lot of fun making this podcast and we hope you enjoy these authentic childrens’ voices telling it like it is!In Other News: The wonderful Jordan Furlong (legal markets analyst and former podcast guest) wraps up Other News this season on a positive note with a roundup of encouraging stories from around the access to justice sphere, including an innovation sandbox, a Truth and Reconciliation initiative, and the nomination of Justice Mahmud Jamal to the Supreme Court.For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/a-kids-eye-view-of-the-pandemic/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Jordan Furlong; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

Today’s season finale was a labour of love! Working with guests ages 4 and up is, well, challenging, for both interviewer (Julie) and production editor (Brauntë). But it was well worth it! For this episode, Julie talked with Ryann, Quinlan, Ava, Wyatt, Ezzo, and Jennah (occasionally interrupted by younger sister Emma), along with their moms (who we tried to keep out of the conversation…) about whether they could remember before the pandemic (no, or only sort-of), what it’s like to wear a mask all the time, how online schooling can be both fun and frustrating (mostly frustrating), and what it’s like to spend all day every day at home with your parents and siblings. Julie also talked with 12-year-old Uma for a more measured, reflective take on the same questions. For our outro, we asked Jennifer Muller, an NSRLP Advisory Board member, past podcast guest (in fact, Jennifer kicked off this season, and she was our first ever podcast guest!), and access to justice advocate, to comment on what the kids said about their experience of lockdown and pandemic . Jennifer is also a K-12 schools counsellor for the North Vancouver School Board and has been listening to kids talk about the pandemic and its impact on them for the past 16 months. We had a lot of fun making this podcast and we hope you enjoy these authentic childrens’ voices telling it like it is! In Other News: The wonderful Jordan Furlong (legal markets analyst and former podcast guest) wraps up Other News this season on a positive note with a roundup of encouraging stories from around the access to justice sphere, including an innovation sandbox, a Truth and Reconciliation initiative, and the nomination of Justice Mahmud Jamal to the Supreme Court. For related links and more on this episode visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/a-kids-eye-view-of-the-pandemic/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/a-kids-eye-view-of-the-pandemic/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Jordan Furlong; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.

A Kid's Eye View Of The Pandemic

Scholar and activist Julie Macfarlane talks with visionaries, social justice warriors, and legal system “disrupters” about their motivations and how their experiences have changed them – for better or for worse.

Jumping Off the Ivory Tower with Prof JulieMac

This week Julie talks to lawyers Colin Feasby (Osler, Hoskin &amp; Harcourt LLP) and Brynne Harding (Bennett Jones), who jointly represented NSRLP pro bono in our recent intervention in Jonsson v Lymer at the Alberta Court of Appeal. This was a landmark case for self-reps, addressing the issue of vexatiousness, and just how careful courts should be when deciding to designate a litigant “vexatious” and restrict their future court access. Those designated as “vexatious” litigants are almost always self-represented litigants, and Julie, Colin, and Brynne discuss the unique situation in Alberta, where the vague and extremely broad doctrine of “inherent jurisdiction” has increasingly been used to designate SRLs as “vexatious” over the last few years, and to place multiple restrictions on them. The Lymer decision has poured (a lot of) cold water on this approach to “vexatiousness”, and Colin and Brynne discuss with Julie what this means for Alberta, and the rest of Canada.In other news: NSRLP continues to update our COVID-19 resources, and we have recently added a new page on wills and powers of attorney; we’re looking for access to justice all-stars who are doing great work during the pandemic – nominations can be sent to @representingyourself@gmail.com; we have two new blogs up, looking at the future of the legal system post-COVID, from both Julie and BC Chief Justice Robert Bauman; the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General announced that it will be shifting some of its traditional investments toward innovation and new technology; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Richard Wagner and federal Justice Minister David Lametti have created an Action Committee on court operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and finally, NSRLP is asking you to spread the word (and give if you can!) about our vital fundraising campaign, #Justice4All. For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/vexatious-in-alberta-a-victory-for-self-reps/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Braunte Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

This week Julie talks to lawyers Colin Feasby (Osler, Hoskin &amp; Harcourt LLP) and Brynne Harding (Bennett Jones), who jointly represented NSRLP pro bono in our recent intervention in Jonsson v Lymer at the Alberta Court of Appeal. This was a landmark case for self-reps, addressing the issue of vexatiousness, and just how careful courts should be when deciding to designate a litigant “vexatious” and restrict their future court access. Those designated as “vexatious” litigants are almost always self-represented litigants, and Julie, Colin, and Brynne discuss the unique situation in Alberta, where the vague and extremely broad doctrine of “inherent jurisdiction” has increasingly been used to designate SRLs as “vexatious” over the last few years, and to place multiple restrictions on them. The Lymer decision has poured (a lot of) cold water on this approach to “vexatiousness”, and Colin and Brynne discuss with Julie what this means for Alberta, and the rest of Canada. In other news: NSRLP continues to update our COVID-19 resources, and we have recently added a new page on wills and powers of attorney; we’re looking for access to justice all-stars who are doing great work during the pandemic – nominations can be sent to @representingyourself@gmail.com; we have two new blogs up, looking at the future of the legal system post-COVID, from both Julie and BC Chief Justice Robert Bauman; the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General announced that it will be shifting some of its traditional investments toward innovation and new technology; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Richard Wagner and federal Justice Minister David Lametti have created an Action Committee on court operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and finally, NSRLP is asking you to spread the word (and give if you can!) about our vital fundraising campaign, #Justice4All. For related links and more on this episode visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/vexatious-in-alberta-a-victory-for-self-reps/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/vexatious-in-alberta-a-victory-for-self-reps/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Braunte Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

Vexatious in Alberta: A Victory for Self-Reps

This week’s episode features an interview about A2J issues with Mr. Justice Choudhury of the High Court of England and Wales, also President of the Employment Appeal Tribunal. Justice Choudhury is also Akhlaq (“Aki”), Julie’s lodger in North London in the late 1980s, when he was a law student at the University of London, and she was starting her career as a professor at another law school; they have remained good friends ever since.Julie and Aki discuss his journey from law student (and part-time milkman) to his current position – and just how unlikely all this seemed back then. In particular, Aki talks about how it was then impossible to imagine himself, born in Scotland and of Bengali descent, as a judge (and the numbers are not a lot better today, he points out). Aki also describes how, as a judge, he goes about ensuring that self-represented litigants (called pro se litigants in England) can be heard and treated fairly. In a COVID-aware postscript, Aki describes what it’s like to now hear cases by videoconference, and raises some concerns about some potential, and not yet fully understood, disadvantages for SRLs and others in that setting.In other news: NSRLP has added to our list of COVID-19 resources since our last podcast, including a list of free online legal educational content and a resource around what “urgent” means for cases currently being heard; we're also proud to announce that Julie will be a member of British Columbia’s new Cross Jurisdictional Technical Advisory Group, helping the Ministry of the Attorney General respond to the impact of COVID-19 on the justice system; and finally, Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Abella recently spoke about designing a whole new way to deliver justice to ordinary people, BC Attorney General David Eby has pondered how this crisis has been eye-opening for those who previously have had access to the justice system, and a major decision from the Ontario Court of Appeal recently reflected on the "role of the trial judge &amp; counsel where one party is self-represented" – the case discusses the appalling treatment of an SRL during a "mocking &amp; belittling cross-examination" while "the trial judge did nothing.”For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/that-was-then-and-this-is-now/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Sikandar Saleem; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

This week’s episode features an interview about A2J issues with Mr. Justice Choudhury of the High Court of England and Wales, also President of the Employment Appeal Tribunal. Justice Choudhury is also Akhlaq (“Aki”), Julie’s lodger in North London in the late 1980s, when he was a law student at the University of London, and she was starting her career as a professor at another law school; they have remained good friends ever since. Julie and Aki discuss his journey from law student (and part-time milkman) to his current position – and just how unlikely all this seemed back then. In particular, Aki talks about how it was then impossible to imagine himself, born in Scotland and of Bengali descent, as a judge (and the numbers are not a lot better today, he points out). Aki also describes how, as a judge, he goes about ensuring that self-represented litigants (called pro se litigants in England) can be heard and treated fairly. In a COVID-aware postscript, Aki describes what it’s like to now hear cases by videoconference, and raises some concerns about some potential, and not yet fully understood, disadvantages for SRLs and others in that setting. In other news: NSRLP has added to our list of COVID-19 resources since our last podcast, including a list of free online legal educational content and a resource around what “urgent” means for cases currently being heard; we're also proud to announce that Julie will be a member of British Columbia’s new Cross Jurisdictional Technical Advisory Group, helping the Ministry of the Attorney General respond to the impact of COVID-19 on the justice system; and finally, Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Abella recently spoke about designing a whole new way to deliver justice to ordinary people, BC Attorney General David Eby has pondered how this crisis has been eye-opening for those who previously have had access to the justice system, and a major decision from the Ontario Court of Appeal recently reflected on the "role of the trial judge &amp; counsel where one party is self-represented" – the case discusses the appalling treatment of an SRL during a "mocking &amp; belittling cross-examination" while "the trial judge did nothing.” For related links and more on this episode visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/that-was-then-and-this-is-now/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/that-was-then-and-this-is-now/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Sikandar Saleem; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

That was Then and This is Now

University of Toronto Professor and Schwartz Reisman Chair in Technology and Society (and recent co-recipient of the David Mundell Medal for Legal Writing) Gillian Hadfield speaks with Julie about the myriad challenges facing the legal profession. Their conversation touches on finding a sustainable economic solution to the affordability crisis in law, access to justice, and pressures for the expansion of legal service models and deregulation. How can the lawyers of tomorrow refocus on client needs and interests, rather than the protection of the profession? In other news: a Law Society of Ontario meeting last week made some important decisions, including a new strategic plan; the American Bar Association recently had a heated fight over a motion to open the door to new models for legal practice in the U.S.; and lastly, ICYMI, a recent article in The Star outlines the story of how NSRLP got started, its initiatives over the years, and our new #Justice4All funding campaign – we encourage you to read and share this article as widely as you can. And please consider making a donation – every dollar helps!For related links and more on this episode, visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/its-not-about-you/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Sikandar Saleem; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

University of Toronto Professor and Schwartz Reisman Chair in Technology and Society (and recent co-recipient of the David Mundell Medal for Legal Writing) Gillian Hadfield speaks with Julie about the myriad challenges facing the legal profession. Their conversation touches on finding a sustainable economic solution to the affordability crisis in law, access to justice, and pressures for the expansion of legal service models and deregulation. How can the lawyers of tomorrow refocus on client needs and interests, rather than the protection of the profession? In other news: a Law Society of Ontario meeting last week made some important decisions, including a new strategic plan; the American Bar Association recently had a heated fight over a motion to open the door to new models for legal practice in the U.S.; and lastly, ICYMI, a recent article in The Star outlines the story of how NSRLP got started, its initiatives over the years, and our new #Justice4All funding campaign – we encourage you to read and share this article as widely as you can. And please consider making a donation – every dollar helps! For related links and more on this episode, visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/its-not-about-you/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/its-not-about-you/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Sikandar Saleem; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

It's Not About You

Orlando da Silva has changed the conversation inside the legal profession around mental health. Julie talks with Orlando about his decision to go public with his own mental health challenges, and the impact on both law firms and law schools. Orlando describes some of the consequences of a traditional lawyering culture that prizes aggressive, catastrophic strategies over kindness and pragmatism in solving legal problems, and how to stay emotionally healthy in such a bruising environment. Reflecting on Orlando's interview, Elizabeth Roberts offers insights from the perspective of a litigant with invisible disabilities, and how we might create a gentler, fairer justice system. In other news: first, we encourage all our listeners to learn more about the movement that began in Wet’suwet’en over the construction of the Coastal Gaslink pipeline, and has escalated (as of February 6th) with members of the first nation being arrested by the RCMP; the Law Society of Saskatchewan and the Ministry of Justice Legal Services Task Team has implemented amendments to the Legal Profession Act, giving limited licenses to alternative legal service providers in the province; and lastly, Julie recently published an article on slaw.ca about the value of the NSRLP, some of the current and future aspirations of the project, and the need to ensure the permanence of our organization going forward.For more related links and more on this episode, visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/were-only-human/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

Orlando da Silva has changed the conversation inside the legal profession around mental health. Julie talks with Orlando about his decision to go public with his own mental health challenges, and the impact on both law firms and law schools. Orlando describes some of the consequences of a traditional lawyering culture that prizes aggressive, catastrophic strategies over kindness and pragmatism in solving legal problems, and how to stay emotionally healthy in such a bruising environment. Reflecting on Orlando's interview, Elizabeth Roberts offers insights from the perspective of a litigant with invisible disabilities, and how we might create a gentler, fairer justice system. In other news: first, we encourage all our listeners to learn more about the movement that began in Wet’suwet’en over the construction of the Coastal Gaslink pipeline, and has escalated (as of February 6th) with members of the first nation being arrested by the RCMP; the Law Society of Saskatchewan and the Ministry of Justice Legal Services Task Team has implemented amendments to the Legal Profession Act, giving limited licenses to alternative legal service providers in the province; and lastly, Julie recently published an article on <a href="http://slaw.ca" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">slaw.ca</a> about the value of the NSRLP, some of the current and future aspirations of the project, and the need to ensure the permanence of our organization going forward. For more related links and more on this episode, visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/were-only-human/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/were-only-human/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

We're Only Human

JOIT is still on hiatus, but in light of the current increasing unrest in Hong Kong, we're re-releasing this episode from the winter of 2018, with a new introduction from Julie. Benny Tai has spent the last few months in prison, but thankfully is currently out on bail ahead of an appeal. We wish Benny and all those involved in the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong success and safety.***This week [March 2018] Julie talks to Benny Tai Yiu-ting, professor of constitutional law at Hong Kong University. Prof. Tai has argued that civil disobedience may be necessary for achieving universal suffrage in Hong Kong, and has become the leader of Hong Kong’s Occupy movement, and what has come to be known as the Umbrella movement for democracy. He has also been charged with three counts of public nuisance following the end of the Occupy demonstrations calling for universal suffrage, which took place in Hong Kong in 2014. Each of these charges carries a maximum prison term of 7 years. Professor Tai is awaiting sentencing. In this conversation, Benny Tai is joined by two law students who share their thoughts about the democracy movement. In other news, LFO announces a new core funding program for A2J non-profits; Precedent Magazine publishes an important piece on the mental health crisis among lawyers; and Julie’s latest blog post discusses the NSRLP’s new court transcripts project.For related links and more on this episode, visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/still-holding-out-for-democracy-special-re-release/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

JOIT is still on hiatus, but in light of the current increasing unrest in Hong Kong, we're re-releasing this episode from the winter of 2018, with a new introduction from Julie. Benny Tai has spent the last few months in prison, but thankfully is currently out on bail ahead of an appeal. We wish Benny and all those involved in the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong success and safety. *** This week [March 2018] Julie talks to Benny Tai Yiu-ting, professor of constitutional law at Hong Kong University. Prof. Tai has argued that civil disobedience may be necessary for achieving universal suffrage in Hong Kong, and has become the leader of Hong Kong’s Occupy movement, and what has come to be known as the Umbrella movement for democracy. He has also been charged with three counts of public nuisance following the end of the Occupy demonstrations calling for universal suffrage, which took place in Hong Kong in 2014. Each of these charges carries a maximum prison term of 7 years. Professor Tai is awaiting sentencing. In this conversation, Benny Tai is joined by two law students who share their thoughts about the democracy movement. In other news, LFO announces a new core funding program for A2J non-profits; Precedent Magazine publishes an important piece on the mental health crisis among lawyers; and Julie’s latest blog post discusses the NSRLP’s new court transcripts project. For related links and more on this episode, visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/still-holding-out-for-democracy-special-re-release/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/still-holding-out-for-democracy-special-re-release/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

Still Holding Out for Democracy *Special Re-release*

This week (our season four finale!) we present a very different type of episode for Ivory Tower... last year, one of Julie’s students at Windsor Law, Micah Pirk O’Connell, submitted a play as his final project for her class on how to work effectively and collaboratively with legal clients. Julie was delighted with Micah’s writing, and shared his (we think) very clever one-act play with Dayna and the NSRLP team, and an idea formed: to adapt the play for audio, and produce it as an episode of the podcast. We roped talented friends and colleagues into acting in and helping to produce this episode, and after several months of hard work, we are very proud to present, “Whacked – A Legal Farce in One Act”.“Whacked” Credits:“Whacked – A Legal Farce in One Act” was written by Micah Pirk O’Connell.Cast:William Haynes – Peter HrastovecMrs. Pearce – Moya McAlisterMarvin – Micah Pirk O’ConnellChristopher – Jayden LacoursiereKate – Leslie McCurdyFerris and Mr. Pearce – Aaron BergeronJenny – Dayna CornwallDr. Macfarlane – Julie MacfarlaneNarration by Ali Tejani... The “Whacked” script was adapted for audio by Dayna Cornwall.Production and editing by Jason Cornwall, with additional production help from Micah Pirk O’Connell, and Brauntë Petric.The song featured in this episode is “Big Mouth and the Old Oak” by Micah Pirk O’Connell. Special thanks to Peter Hrastovec and Shibley Righton LLP for the generous donation of their conference room for recording purposes, and to Windsor Law for their ongoing support.Thanks to Jolie Inthavong, and Brent Oneschuk for their support.Thanks to all our gifted actors and crew members, for donating their valuable time and energy to this project.Very special thanks to Jason Cornwall for all his time, equipment, and expert production. (Check out Jason’s wonderful podcast, Unprepared Storytelling.)And another very special thanks to our gifted author, musician, producer, and actor, Micah Pirk O’Connell, who has just graduated from Windsor Law, and is off to complete his articling in Toronto. Congratulations, and good luck Micah!“Whacked, A Legal Farce in One Act” has been a production of NSRLP at Windsor Law.... And that’s it for season four of Jumping Off the Ivory Tower! We’re particularly proud of this season, and encourage everyone to go back and listen to any episodes you may have missed, re-listen to your favourites, and share widely. Remember, Ivory Tower makes for excellent summer listening! We’ll be back in the fall with season five, but in the meantime you can find us on Twitter and on Facebook. Listen, rate, and subscribe on SoundCloud, and iTunes, where your ratings and reviews will help us immensely. Thanks to all our loyal listeners for a wonderful season! Have a fantastic summer!Related links and more on this episode can be found on our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/whacked-a-legal-farce-in-one-act/

This week (our season four finale!) we present a very different type of episode for Ivory Tower... last year, one of Julie’s students at Windsor Law, Micah Pirk O’Connell, submitted a play as his final project for her class on how to work effectively and collaboratively with legal clients. Julie was delighted with Micah’s writing, and shared his (we think) very clever one-act play with Dayna and the NSRLP team, and an idea formed: to adapt the play for audio, and produce it as an episode of the podcast. We roped talented friends and colleagues into acting in and helping to produce this episode, and after several months of hard work, we are very proud to present, “Whacked – A Legal Farce in One Act”. “Whacked” Credits: “Whacked – A Legal Farce in One Act” was written by Micah Pirk O’Connell. Cast: William Haynes – Peter Hrastovec Mrs. Pearce – Moya McAlister Marvin – Micah Pirk O’Connell Christopher – Jayden Lacoursiere Kate – Leslie McCurdy Ferris and Mr. Pearce – Aaron Bergeron Jenny – Dayna Cornwall Dr. Macfarlane – Julie Macfarlane Narration by Ali Tejani ... The “Whacked” script was adapted for audio by Dayna Cornwall. Production and editing by Jason Cornwall, with additional production help from Micah Pirk O’Connell, and Brauntë Petric. The song featured in this episode is “Big Mouth and the Old Oak” by Micah Pirk O’Connell. Special thanks to Peter Hrastovec and Shibley Righton LLP for the generous donation of their conference room for recording purposes, and to Windsor Law for their ongoing support. Thanks to Jolie Inthavong, and Brent Oneschuk for their support. Thanks to all our gifted actors and crew members, for donating their valuable time and energy to this project. Very special thanks to Jason Cornwall for all his time, equipment, and expert production. (Check out Jason’s wonderful podcast, Unprepared Storytelling.) And another very special thanks to our gifted author, musician, producer, and actor, Micah Pirk O’Connell, who has just graduated from Windsor Law, and is off to complete his articling in Toronto. Congratulations, and good luck Micah! “Whacked, A Legal Farce in One Act” has been a production of NSRLP at Windsor Law. ... And that’s it for season four of Jumping Off the Ivory Tower! We’re particularly proud of this season, and encourage everyone to go back and listen to any episodes you may have missed, re-listen to your favourites, and share widely. Remember, Ivory Tower makes for excellent summer listening! We’ll be back in the fall with season five, but in the meantime you can find us on Twitter and on Facebook. Listen, rate, and subscribe on SoundCloud, and iTunes, where your ratings and reviews will help us immensely. Thanks to all our loyal listeners for a wonderful season! Have a fantastic summer! Related links and more on this episode can be found on our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/whacked-a-legal-farce-in-one-act/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/whacked-a-legal-farce-in-one-act/</a>

Whacked - A Legal Farce in One Act

This week’s episode is taken from a keynote speech recently delivered by Julie and her husband and professor of conflict resolution, Bernie Mayer, to the joint annual conference of the Ontario Association of Family Mediators and the Ontario Collaborative Law Federation. Julie and Bernie addressed an audience of mediators and legal professionals focused on Access to Justice – a sample of insiders – and presented them with two challenges: to consider Access to Justice as a threshold issue, and to examine how we handle conflict in our wider culture. They discussed the ways paternalism and a system of complex rules are holding the legal profession back, and how system insiders need to face and address systemic problems. The episode outro is provided by family lawyer Chris Arnold, whose Ottawa practice focuses on family mediation and collaborative family law; Chris was present for Julie and Bernie’s speech, and he reflects on the reception it got at the conference.In other news: last week, leaders of 50 justice organizations in British Columbia joined Attorney General David Eby and Chief Justice of British Columbia Robert Bauman to mark the signing of the Access to Justice Triple Aim, which will guide initiatives and reforms for making family and civil justice more accessible to British Columbians; a recent podcast from the Lawyerist podcast is all about access to justice, and includes an in-depth conversation with Professor Rebecca Sandefur; and finally, NSRLP announced last week that we have two new members joining our Advisory Board, Justice David Price, and Ms. Jana Saracevic – welcome both!For related links and more on this episode, visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/facing-a-broken-system/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

This week’s episode is taken from a keynote speech recently delivered by Julie and her husband and professor of conflict resolution, Bernie Mayer, to the joint annual conference of the Ontario Association of Family Mediators and the Ontario Collaborative Law Federation. Julie and Bernie addressed an audience of mediators and legal professionals focused on Access to Justice – a sample of insiders – and presented them with two challenges: to consider Access to Justice as a threshold issue, and to examine how we handle conflict in our wider culture. They discussed the ways paternalism and a system of complex rules are holding the legal profession back, and how system insiders need to face and address systemic problems. The episode outro is provided by family lawyer Chris Arnold, whose Ottawa practice focuses on family mediation and collaborative family law; Chris was present for Julie and Bernie’s speech, and he reflects on the reception it got at the conference. In other news: last week, leaders of 50 justice organizations in British Columbia joined Attorney General David Eby and Chief Justice of British Columbia Robert Bauman to mark the signing of the Access to Justice Triple Aim, which will guide initiatives and reforms for making family and civil justice more accessible to British Columbians; a recent podcast from the Lawyerist podcast is all about access to justice, and includes an in-depth conversation with Professor Rebecca Sandefur; and finally, NSRLP announced last week that we have two new members joining our Advisory Board, Justice David Price, and Ms. Jana Saracevic – welcome both! For related links and more on this episode, visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/facing-a-broken-system/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/facing-a-broken-system/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

Facing a Broken System

Today’s episode addresses the increasingly contentious and much-discussed issue of non-disclosure agreements in terminations for sexual misconduct. NDAs, as they are known, are sometimes justified as being in the interests of the victim – in fact, as the first part of this podcast reveals in a discussion with Julie on the defamation case against her, NDAs are commonly used by universities to quietly “pass-the-trash” to other schools, which then hire persons fired for sexual harassment and other misconduct with no knowledge of their history. Moreover, victims are sometimes pressured to sign an NDA as a “gag”, as the story of Dr. Emma Chapman, an astrophysicist at Imperial College London, and a  member of the UK-based 1752 advocacy group, illustrates. Finally, Julie talks to Connor Spencer, chair of the national student group lobbying to address sexual violence cover-ups in universities across Canada, about how students view NDAs.This episode is being released on the day of a court hearing in Julie’s case against the University of Windsor insurer. Julie is presently being represented pro bono by the wonderful Natalie MacDonald. If you are interested in contributing to this cause, you can find a GoFundMe page here: https://www.gofundme.com/EndNDAs.In other news: former Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin has written an article in Lawyers Daily summarizing some of the important discussions that took place at the Annual Summit of the Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters; the Law School Admissions Council announced last week that they will be implementing a new initiative to increase access to legal education, and access to law school more specifically; a recent article from the CBC analyzed the appointments of judges from 2016 to 2018, and noted that Canada's judiciary is gradually becoming more diverse; NSRLP is collecting survey data from self-represented litigants who have been labeled as “vexatious”, or been subject to a court restriction order; and finally, last week NSRLP published a blog post written by Honourable Robert Bauman, Chief Justice of British Columbia.For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/ndas-a-toxic-bargain/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

Today’s episode addresses the increasingly contentious and much-discussed issue of non-disclosure agreements in terminations for sexual misconduct. NDAs, as they are known, are sometimes justified as being in the interests of the victim – in fact, as the first part of this podcast reveals in a discussion with Julie on the defamation case against her, NDAs are commonly used by universities to quietly “pass-the-trash” to other schools, which then hire persons fired for sexual harassment and other misconduct with no knowledge of their history. Moreover, victims are sometimes pressured to sign an NDA as a “gag”, as the story of Dr. Emma Chapman, an astrophysicist at Imperial College London, and a member of the UK-based 1752 advocacy group, illustrates. Finally, Julie talks to Connor Spencer, chair of the national student group lobbying to address sexual violence cover-ups in universities across Canada, about how students view NDAs. This episode is being released on the day of a court hearing in Julie’s case against the University of Windsor insurer. Julie is presently being represented pro bono by the wonderful Natalie MacDonald. If you are interested in contributing to this cause, you can find a GoFundMe page here: <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/EndNDAs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.gofundme.com/EndNDAs</a>. In other news: former Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin has written an article in Lawyers Daily summarizing some of the important discussions that took place at the Annual Summit of the Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters; the Law School Admissions Council announced last week that they will be implementing a new initiative to increase access to legal education, and access to law school more specifically; a recent article from the CBC analyzed the appointments of judges from 2016 to 2018, and noted that Canada's judiciary is gradually becoming more diverse; NSRLP is collecting survey data from self-represented litigants who have been labeled as “vexatious”, or been subject to a court restriction order; and finally, last week NSRLP published a blog post written by Honourable Robert Bauman, Chief Justice of British Columbia. For related links and more on this episode visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/ndas-a-toxic-bargain/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/ndas-a-toxic-bargain/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

NDAs: A Toxic Bargain

Our episode this week deals with the most recent case that NSRLP has acted as intervenor for, at the Ontario Court of Appeal – Kawartha-Haliburton CAS v MW, Curve Lake First Nation and Office of the Children's Lawyer; it dealt with the use of summary judgements against parents in Children’s Aid Society cases. Julie speaks with Kate Kehoe, the lawyer who graciously acted as NSRLP’s pro bono lawyer in this case. Kate was counsel to the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto from 1999 – 2007. She also acted as a Policy Analyst &amp; Writer for the Motherisk Commission, and is now a consultant in Ottawa. They discuss the impact of this case, and why it may be important in clarifying how summary judgements are used against SRLs in general. Julie then speaks with Tammy Law, a family lawyer in Toronto who specializes in child protection cases; Tammy represented another intervenor in this case, the Ontario Association of Child Protection Lawyers. Tammy describes the importance of the Kawartha decision and what it means – and reflects on the subsequent Legal Aid Ontario cuts that have effectively eliminated the advances made here.In other news: the Supreme Court of Canada has announced that they will be hearing two appeals in Winnipeg, as part of their access to justice efforts; SCC Justice Gascon was briefly reported missing, found to be safe, and later released a statement attributing his absence to depression and anxiety disorders – mental health is an important topic, both among the general public and in the legal profession, and we are grateful to Justice Gascon for publicly stating his history with mental health; the University of North Texas Dallas College of Law hosted the 11th annual Open Access Symposium this past weekend, with access to justice being at the forefront of conversations; the Government of Canada hosted a symposium on Indigenous justice systems last week, at a two-day event that brought together Indigenous leaders, Indigenous law students, experts, and government officials from across Canada and around the world; and finally, NSRLP published a new blog post last week, by SRL Aaron Huizinga, examining questions of customer service in the legal system.For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/profound-implications/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

Our episode this week deals with the most recent case that NSRLP has acted as intervenor for, at the Ontario Court of Appeal – Kawartha-Haliburton CAS v MW, Curve Lake First Nation and Office of the Children's Lawyer; it dealt with the use of summary judgements against parents in Children’s Aid Society cases. Julie speaks with Kate Kehoe, the lawyer who graciously acted as NSRLP’s pro bono lawyer in this case. Kate was counsel to the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto from 1999 – 2007. She also acted as a Policy Analyst &amp; Writer for the Motherisk Commission, and is now a consultant in Ottawa. They discuss the impact of this case, and why it may be important in clarifying how summary judgements are used against SRLs in general. Julie then speaks with Tammy Law, a family lawyer in Toronto who specializes in child protection cases; Tammy represented another intervenor in this case, the Ontario Association of Child Protection Lawyers. Tammy describes the importance of the Kawartha decision and what it means – and reflects on the subsequent Legal Aid Ontario cuts that have effectively eliminated the advances made here. In other news: the Supreme Court of Canada has announced that they will be hearing two appeals in Winnipeg, as part of their access to justice efforts; SCC Justice Gascon was briefly reported missing, found to be safe, and later released a statement attributing his absence to depression and anxiety disorders – mental health is an important topic, both among the general public and in the legal profession, and we are grateful to Justice Gascon for publicly stating his history with mental health; the University of North Texas Dallas College of Law hosted the 11th annual Open Access Symposium this past weekend, with access to justice being at the forefront of conversations; the Government of Canada hosted a symposium on Indigenous justice systems last week, at a two-day event that brought together Indigenous leaders, Indigenous law students, experts, and government officials from across Canada and around the world; and finally, NSRLP published a new blog post last week, by SRL Aaron Huizinga, examining questions of customer service in the legal system. For related links and more on this episode visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/profound-implications/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/profound-implications/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

Profound Implications

LEAD

The scope of practice for paralegals, especially to help family litigants, has become a central issue in the debate over A2J in Canada. In this episode, Nancy Merrill, a family lawyer and mediator, and now the President of the BC Law Society, talks about her vision for expanding alternative legal services in BC, and her hopes for change. Will BC become a battleground for this issue as it has in Ontario, in the wake of the (still not implemented)Bonkalo report? Nancy’s commitment to the BC Law Society being a “courageous and innovative regulator” extends to rethinking legal education and training, promoting diversity initiatives, and increasing awareness about mental health challenges in the legal profession.In other news: NSRLP will have intervener status in a case at the Alberta Court of Appeal, in the context of the apparently increasing frequency with which SRLs are designated vexatious, or have contempt orders issued against them; the Ontario Court of Appeal has published an order providing CBC the right to place cameras in particular courtrooms to record, live-stream, and broadcast specific proceedings, and we’re hopeful this could result in more openness and transparency in court proceedings; the Ontario government has announced a fundamental change to the justice system by vastly expanding the pool of potential jurors, to better reflect economic and racial diversity; and finally, Julie and Bernie Mayer recently presented a joint keynote address for the annual conference of the Ontario Association of Family Mediators and the Ontario Collaborative Law Federation, discussing the role of mediators in administering access to justice.For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/can-bc-lead-the-way-on-paralegals/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

The scope of practice for paralegals, especially to help family litigants, has become a central issue in the debate over A2J in Canada. In this episode, Nancy Merrill, a family lawyer and mediator, and now the President of the BC Law Society, talks about her vision for expanding alternative legal services in BC, and her hopes for change. Will BC become a battleground for this issue as it has in Ontario, in the wake of the (still not implemented)Bonkalo report? Nancy’s commitment to the BC Law Society being a “courageous and innovative regulator” extends to rethinking legal education and training, promoting diversity initiatives, and increasing awareness about mental health challenges in the legal profession. In other news: NSRLP will have intervener status in a case at the Alberta Court of Appeal, in the context of the apparently increasing frequency with which SRLs are designated vexatious, or have contempt orders issued against them; the Ontario Court of Appeal has published an order providing CBC the right to place cameras in particular courtrooms to record, live-stream, and broadcast specific proceedings, and we’re hopeful this could result in more openness and transparency in court proceedings; the Ontario government has announced a fundamental change to the justice system by vastly expanding the pool of potential jurors, to better reflect economic and racial diversity; and finally, Julie and Bernie Mayer recently presented a joint keynote address for the annual conference of the Ontario Association of Family Mediators and the Ontario Collaborative Law Federation, discussing the role of mediators in administering access to justice. For related links and more on this episode visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/can-bc-lead-the-way-on-paralegals/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/can-bc-lead-the-way-on-paralegals/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

Can BC Lead The Way On Paralegals?

Today’s episode features an extraordinary advocate for LGBTQ rights in the Muslim community, Siddika Jessa. In 2017, Siddika was the Secretary General of the Organisation of North American Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities (NASIMCO), holding a global leadership position unique for a woman. Then her son Ali Reza married his same-sex partner, Paul, in a summer wedding in Vancouver, and the proverbial s*** hit the fan… Siddika’s amazing story of principle, insight and courage is told in her conversation with Julie, followed by some reflections from Siddika’s other son,  Khalil (whom avid JOTIT listeners might remember from our first season, when he recorded our most popular episode ever – “Islamophobia in our Backyard” – about the impact of growing public hostility toward American Muslims whipped up by Donald Trump).In other news: The winter 2019 issue of Dædalus, (Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences) examines the national crisis in civil legal services facing poor and low-income Americans; NSRLP’s latest Slaw column considers how insiders and outsiders can work together to inspire change in the legal system; and a new NSRLP blog post by guest Anne Rempel covers the Law Society of Ontario complaints system.For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/the-courage-of-your-convictions/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

Today’s episode features an extraordinary advocate for LGBTQ rights in the Muslim community, Siddika Jessa. In 2017, Siddika was the Secretary General of the Organisation of North American Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities (NASIMCO), holding a global leadership position unique for a woman. Then her son Ali Reza married his same-sex partner, Paul, in a summer wedding in Vancouver, and the proverbial s*** hit the fan… Siddika’s amazing story of principle, insight and courage is told in her conversation with Julie, followed by some reflections from Siddika’s other son, Khalil (whom avid JOTIT listeners might remember from our first season, when he recorded our most popular episode ever – “Islamophobia in our Backyard” – about the impact of growing public hostility toward American Muslims whipped up by Donald Trump). In other news: The winter 2019 issue of Dædalus, (Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences) examines the national crisis in civil legal services facing poor and low-income Americans; NSRLP’s latest Slaw column considers how insiders and outsiders can work together to inspire change in the legal system; and a new NSRLP blog post by guest Anne Rempel covers the Law Society of Ontario complaints system. For related links and more on this episode visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/the-courage-of-your-convictions/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/the-courage-of-your-convictions/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

The Courage Of Your Convictions

This week we take a close look at the process of recruitment that dominates law school for second and third year students. Eager to find a position that will be a resume builder and begin paying off tuition debt, students compete in a process known as the “OCIs” (“On-Campus Interviews”), for either summer positions or articling jobs in big Bay Street firms. OCIs are a multi-stage process involving on-campus interviews, in-firm interviews, cocktails parties and dinners – and a lot of nail-biting waiting for a call-back. Our focus here is the 2L summer position OCI recruitment process, and we have recorded comments from a number of students who have just completed this months-long process – some got jobs, some did not. We also talk to Kim Orr, a two-year call and a lawyer with Paccioco and Mellow in Windsor, about her OCIs experience.In other news: Malcolm Mercer (treasurer of the Law Society of Ontario) has published a column for SLAW magazine discussing sharp practice by lawyers; a recent article from The Tyee looks at Gladue Reports, access to justice, and the ways in which the Canadian justice system isn’t doing enough for Indigenous communities; and Julie has been featured on another podcast, “The Law School Show”, speaking with students about her work for the NSRLP, her experiences that have led to this point, and sharing some insights on the legal profession.For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/how-large-law-firms-recruit-law-students/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

This week we take a close look at the process of recruitment that dominates law school for second and third year students. Eager to find a position that will be a resume builder and begin paying off tuition debt, students compete in a process known as the “OCIs” (“On-Campus Interviews”), for either summer positions or articling jobs in big Bay Street firms. OCIs are a multi-stage process involving on-campus interviews, in-firm interviews, cocktails parties and dinners – and a lot of nail-biting waiting for a call-back. Our focus here is the 2L summer position OCI recruitment process, and we have recorded comments from a number of students who have just completed this months-long process – some got jobs, some did not. We also talk to Kim Orr, a two-year call and a lawyer with Paccioco and Mellow in Windsor, about her OCIs experience. In other news: Malcolm Mercer (treasurer of the Law Society of Ontario) has published a column for SLAW magazine discussing sharp practice by lawyers; a recent article from The Tyee looks at Gladue Reports, access to justice, and the ways in which the Canadian justice system isn’t doing enough for Indigenous communities; and Julie has been featured on another podcast, “The Law School Show”, speaking with students about her work for the NSRLP, her experiences that have led to this point, and sharing some insights on the legal profession. For related links and more on this episode visit our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/how-large-law-firms-recruit-law-students/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/how-large-law-firms-recruit-law-students/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

How Large Law Firms Recruit Law Students

Today Julie talks to Justice David Price of the Ontario Superior Court, where he sits as a family court judge, about two issues that regularly raise anxieties and challenges for self-represented litigants: how to reduce the chances of being ordered to pay the costs of the other side, and how to organize and present arguments in court. Justice Price presents clear information for members of the public who are unable to afford expert assistance and are obliged to represent themselves. We also asked two SRLs, Jana Saracevic and Elizabeth Roberts, to comment on Justice Price’s “tutorial” and to reflect on how they learned to find their way through the system without this information. In other news: Ontario, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia celebrate their A2J weeks with fantastic events across the country this month.Visit our website for more on this episode: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/judges-and-srls-continuing-the-dialogue/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

Today Julie talks to Justice David Price of the Ontario Superior Court, where he sits as a family court judge, about two issues that regularly raise anxieties and challenges for self-represented litigants: how to reduce the chances of being ordered to pay the costs of the other side, and how to organize and present arguments in court. Justice Price presents clear information for members of the public who are unable to afford expert assistance and are obliged to represent themselves. We also asked two SRLs, Jana Saracevic and Elizabeth Roberts, to comment on Justice Price’s “tutorial” and to reflect on how they learned to find their way through the system without this information. In other news: Ontario, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia celebrate their A2J weeks with fantastic events across the country this month. Visit our website for more on this episode: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/judges-and-srls-continuing-the-dialogue/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/judges-and-srls-continuing-the-dialogue/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

Judges and SRLs: Continuing the Dialogue

Today Julie and Dayna discuss what has been happening in Canadian courts following the Pintea decision, made 18 months ago by the Supreme Court of Canada, which set a new standard for how courts deal with self-represented litigants. Pintea instructed other courts to always consider the fact that SRLs are not equally familiar or knowledgeable about law as experienced legal counsel, and that judges should assist to ensure they understand the process and can meaningfully participate. We ask Colin Feasby of Oslers Hoskin Harcourt, who was pro bono counsel for Mr. Pintea, and Ranjan Agarwal, pro bono counsel for NSRLP's intervention, what they think about the information in our "hot off the presses" report on cases decided across the country involving SRLs post-Pintea.In other news: Ali recaps our wonderfully successful 5th anniversary “Continuing the Dialogue” event at Windsor Law last week, which saw justice system stakeholders and SRLs from across Canada and the US come together to discuss the state of Access to Justice, and practical steps we can take to reduce the justice gap. Stay tuned for our upcoming Dialogue Event episode!Visit our website for more on this episode:  https://representingyourselfcanada.com/still-outsiders-18-months-post-pintea/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

Today Julie and Dayna discuss what has been happening in Canadian courts following the Pintea decision, made 18 months ago by the Supreme Court of Canada, which set a new standard for how courts deal with self-represented litigants. Pintea instructed other courts to always consider the fact that SRLs are not equally familiar or knowledgeable about law as experienced legal counsel, and that judges should assist to ensure they understand the process and can meaningfully participate. We ask Colin Feasby of Oslers Hoskin Harcourt, who was pro bono counsel for Mr. Pintea, and Ranjan Agarwal, pro bono counsel for NSRLP's intervention, what they think about the information in our "hot off the presses" report on cases decided across the country involving SRLs post-Pintea. In other news: Ali recaps our wonderfully successful 5th anniversary “Continuing the Dialogue” event at Windsor Law last week, which saw justice system stakeholders and SRLs from across Canada and the US come together to discuss the state of Access to Justice, and practical steps we can take to reduce the justice gap. Stay tuned for our upcoming Dialogue Event episode! Visit our website for more on this episode: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/still-outsiders-18-months-post-pintea/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/still-outsiders-18-months-post-pintea/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

Still Outsiders? 18 Months Post-Pintea

This week Julie has an illuminating conversation with Beverly Jacobs and Valarie Waboose about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: what real, earnest reconciliation with Indigenous communities should look like in practical terms, and what roadblocks still exist. Bev and Val are both faculty at Windsor Law, where this fall marks the introduction of a new, first of its kind, mandatory course for all students on First Nations Legal Traditions. In other news: here at NSRLP we’re considering similarities between power dynamics at play in the Kavanaugh hearings, and the experiences of self-reps in our justice system; and the University of Victoria has launched the first ever dual law degree program merging a Canadian Common Law degree (JD), and an Indigenous Legal Orders degree (JID), which we hope will contribute to meaningful discussion of reconciliation.See our website for more on this episode: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/striving-for-truth-and-reconciliation/Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

This week Julie has an illuminating conversation with Beverly Jacobs and Valarie Waboose about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: what real, earnest reconciliation with Indigenous communities should look like in practical terms, and what roadblocks still exist. Bev and Val are both faculty at Windsor Law, where this fall marks the introduction of a new, first of its kind, mandatory course for all students on First Nations Legal Traditions. In other news: here at NSRLP we’re considering similarities between power dynamics at play in the Kavanaugh hearings, and the experiences of self-reps in our justice system; and the University of Victoria has launched the first ever dual law degree program merging a Canadian Common Law degree (JD), and an Indigenous Legal Orders degree (JID), which we hope will contribute to meaningful discussion of reconciliation. See our website for more on this episode: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/striving-for-truth-and-reconciliation/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/striving-for-truth-and-reconciliation/</a> Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.

Striving For Truth And Reconciliation

This week's episode focuses on the ongoing work of the UK's largest ever public inquiry, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (https://www.iicsa.org.uk/) or IICSA. IICSA is charged with discovering what went wrong in numerous institutions, including the Anglican church, where for decades ordained ministers sexually abused children and young people with impunity, covering-up their crimes and ignoring complaints. Julie was one of those abused as a young person and this podcast includes portions of her testimony to IICSA in March (with thanks to Mandate Now http://mandatenow.org.uk/ for providing the audio), as well as a reflection on the process with her lawyer, David Greenwood, and finally a comment from Gilo, a survivor of abuse himself and a leading activist, on the day that IICSA published its Interim Report. In other news: The National Action Committee on Access to Justice has released their report on Canada's progress toward A2J in 2017, and has listed NSRLP as a contributor to its justice development goals; and the Canadian Bar Association has released a new report on the role of lawyers in the justice system when considering the rise of self-represented litigants.For more on this episode see our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/shameful-history-sexual-abuse-in-the-anglican-church/

This week's episode focuses on the ongoing work of the UK's largest ever public inquiry, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (<a href="https://www.iicsa.org.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.iicsa.org.uk/</a>) or IICSA. IICSA is charged with discovering what went wrong in numerous institutions, including the Anglican church, where for decades ordained ministers sexually abused children and young people with impunity, covering-up their crimes and ignoring complaints. Julie was one of those abused as a young person and this podcast includes portions of her testimony to IICSA in March (with thanks to Mandate Now <a href="http://mandatenow.org.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://mandatenow.org.uk/</a> for providing the audio), as well as a reflection on the process with her lawyer, David Greenwood, and finally a comment from Gilo, a survivor of abuse himself and a leading activist, on the day that IICSA published its Interim Report. In other news: The National Action Committee on Access to Justice has released their report on Canada's progress toward A2J in 2017, and has listed NSRLP as a contributor to its justice development goals; and the Canadian Bar Association has released a new report on the role of lawyers in the justice system when considering the rise of self-represented litigants. For more on this episode see our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/shameful-history-sexual-abuse-in-the-anglican-church/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/shameful-history-sexual-abuse-in-the-anglican-church/</a>

Shameful History: Sexual Abuse In The Anglican Church

This week's episode represents Julie's time in February as a guest of the University of Sydney, where she visited Professor Ghena Krayhem and other scholars and activists in Australia working to change public perceptions of Muslim women as passive, oppressed victims. At a conference, the Symposium on Agency of Muslim Women, Julie recorded multiple women (and one man!)speaking about how they combat stereotypes of Muslim women. In our "debrief" segment, Dayna speaks with graduating Windsor Law student Hagar Elsayed about the Australian interviews, and Hagar's experiences as a Muslim woman in Canada. Finally, Dr. Mehreen Faruqi, MP for New South Wales sums up what lies ahead in breaking down barriers and harmful stereotypes. In other news: the Toronto Lawyer's Association responds to Julie's Sunday Edition interview; and English and Welsh barristers strike to protest cuts to legal aid funding. Featured in this episode:Professor Ghena Krayhem, Associate Professor at Sydney University Law School (Symposium convenor)Professor Susan Carland, Faculty of Arts, University of Monash (keynote speaker)Mehal Krayem, University of Sydney Technology, Editor of the online magazine SajjelingFadi Baghdadi , doctoral student, University of SydneyIlhaam Jadwaat, Catholic school teacherDiana Abdurahman, Federal Public Service, CanberraMaha Krayem Abdo, CEO, Muslim Women’s AssociationSarah Chehab Hamdan , pharmacist and business ownerHagar Elsayed, Windsor LawMehreen Faruqi, Member of Parliament New South Wales, Green PartyMore on this episode on our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/not-so-oppressed/

This week's episode represents Julie's time in February as a guest of the University of Sydney, where she visited Professor Ghena Krayhem and other scholars and activists in Australia working to change public perceptions of Muslim women as passive, oppressed victims. At a conference, the Symposium on Agency of Muslim Women, Julie recorded multiple women (and one man!)speaking about how they combat stereotypes of Muslim women. In our "debrief" segment, Dayna speaks with graduating Windsor Law student Hagar Elsayed about the Australian interviews, and Hagar's experiences as a Muslim woman in Canada. Finally, Dr. Mehreen Faruqi, MP for New South Wales sums up what lies ahead in breaking down barriers and harmful stereotypes. In other news: the Toronto Lawyer's Association responds to Julie's Sunday Edition interview; and English and Welsh barristers strike to protest cuts to legal aid funding. Featured in this episode: Professor Ghena Krayhem, Associate Professor at Sydney University Law School (Symposium convenor) Professor Susan Carland, Faculty of Arts, University of Monash (keynote speaker) Mehal Krayem, University of Sydney Technology, Editor of the online magazine Sajjeling Fadi Baghdadi , doctoral student, University of Sydney Ilhaam Jadwaat, Catholic school teacher Diana Abdurahman, Federal Public Service, Canberra Maha Krayem Abdo, CEO, Muslim Women’s Association Sarah Chehab Hamdan , pharmacist and business owner Hagar Elsayed, Windsor Law Mehreen Faruqi, Member of Parliament New South Wales, Green Party More on this episode on our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/not-so-oppressed/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/not-so-oppressed/</a>

Not So Oppressed

This week Julie talks to Professor Paula Gerber about the marriage equality referendum in Australia last year, the ugly forces unleashed by the referendum, and its aftermath, as well as what challenges continue for ensuring LGBTQI rights in Australia. Paula is Professor of Law at Monash University in Melbourne, where she leads the Human Rights Centre. She is also a well-known and committed LGBTQI activist. In other news: NSRLP has been granted $100K by the LFO to work with local public libraries; in Australia, two SRLs successfully used the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities to argue that their rights had been violated by the court's handling of their case; and watch for upcoming NSRLP reports on our 2017 SRL Intake Form, and on our SRL Case Law Database.More on this episode on our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/after-marriage-equality-whats-next/

This week Julie talks to Professor Paula Gerber about the marriage equality referendum in Australia last year, the ugly forces unleashed by the referendum, and its aftermath, as well as what challenges continue for ensuring LGBTQI rights in Australia. Paula is Professor of Law at Monash University in Melbourne, where she leads the Human Rights Centre. She is also a well-known and committed LGBTQI activist. In other news: NSRLP has been granted $100K by the LFO to work with local public libraries; in Australia, two SRLs successfully used the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities to argue that their rights had been violated by the court's handling of their case; and watch for upcoming NSRLP reports on our 2017 SRL Intake Form, and on our SRL Case Law Database. More on this episode on our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/after-marriage-equality-whats-next/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/after-marriage-equality-whats-next/</a>

After Marriage Equality, What's Next?

This week on the podcast Julie talks to Dr. Jacob McGee, who treats women’s cancers at the London Health Sciences Centre. Jake is also Julie’s doctor, and he has been treating her for ovarian cancer since 2014. Julie wanted to record this podcast with Jake to share the many difficult but important conversations they have had in the past three and a half years, on a subject that affects so many Canadian families – cancer care. In other news, American judge Victoria Pratt's TED Talk on procedural justice is making waves; Julie talks to Australian radio about her work on Islamic divorce; and a Canadian company requests feedback on the costs of family legal disputes.More on this episode on our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/lets-talk-about-cancer/

This week on the podcast Julie talks to Dr. Jacob McGee, who treats women’s cancers at the London Health Sciences Centre. Jake is also Julie’s doctor, and he has been treating her for ovarian cancer since 2014. Julie wanted to record this podcast with Jake to share the many difficult but important conversations they have had in the past three and a half years, on a subject that affects so many Canadian families – cancer care. In other news, American judge Victoria Pratt's TED Talk on procedural justice is making waves; Julie talks to Australian radio about her work on Islamic divorce; and a Canadian company requests feedback on the costs of family legal disputes. More on this episode on our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/lets-talk-about-cancer/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/lets-talk-about-cancer/</a>

Let's Talk About Cancer

This week, Julie talks to lawyer Brady Donohue about her experiences with and efforts around campus sexual assaults, and the pervasive culture of sexual assault and harassment in our society generally, including the often frustrating institutional responses to allegations of assault. In other news: law societies consider paralegal services, a prestigious award for NSRLP board member John Manwaring, and press over the Dellen Millard case continues.More on this episode on our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/tackling-campus-rape-culture/

This week, Julie talks to lawyer Brady Donohue about her experiences with and efforts around campus sexual assaults, and the pervasive culture of sexual assault and harassment in our society generally, including the often frustrating institutional responses to allegations of assault. In other news: law societies consider paralegal services, a prestigious award for NSRLP board member John Manwaring, and press over the Dellen Millard case continues. More on this episode on our website: <a href="https://representingyourselfcanada.com/tackling-campus-rape-culture/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://representingyourselfcanada.com/tackling-campus-rape-culture/</a>

Tackling Campus Rape Culture

The Best Multi-Part Documentaries, with documentaries on Obama, Federer vs Nadal, the making of Star Wars, Netflix vs Blockbuster and more. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Multi-Part Documentaries

The best podcast episodes of the most interesting stories and things. From skyping someone while they're in space, to tracking down and meeting a telephone scammer in person, to the story of a Galapagos. These episodes will keep you and all your friends entertained and captivated for hours. Learn something new in every episode! Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!