Legal Aid Alberta has issued a statement in relation to the expiry of its governance and funding agreement with the Government of Alberta on June 30 and the consequences of this for its stakeholders. Legal Aid Alberta, a non-profit organisation, has traditionally received funding through a governance agreement that involves the federal government, the provincial…
Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession: Challenges and Solutions
The Alameda County Bar Association, a representative local Bar Association in California has published a helpful summary on diversity and inclusion issues in the legal profession and how these can be addressed. In “Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession: Challenges and Solutions”, the ACBA highlights the urgent need for increased diversity and inclusion within…
Views on the British Columbia Consultation on AI and Civil Liability
A recent survey conducted by the American Bar Association (ABA) and its Task Force on Law and Artificial Intelligence reveals that a significant number of law schools are actively incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into their curricula. The survey, which included 29 law schools, found that 55% of these institutions now offer AI-specific classes, and…
Bar exam alternatives gain American Bar Association backing
The American Bar Association (ABA) Section on Legal Education has endorsed alternative pathways to attorney licensing that do not require taking the bar exam. This represents a significant shift in policy from its traditional stance of only recognising the Bar Exam route to qualification. The move comes in response to the growing number of states…
Proposal for a limited practice rule to narrow North Carolina’s access to justice gap
The North Carolina Supreme Court and State Bar are urged to explore a limited practice rule to allow certified paralegals and unlicensed law school graduates to provide limited legal services. This proposal aims to enhance access to affordable legal assistance while protecting the public interest and addressing the widening access to justice gap. The access…
Auto clubs and the lost origins of the access-to-justice crisis
Engstrom, N. F., & Stone, J. (2024). Auto clubs and the lost origins of the access-to-justice crisis Yale Law Journal, Forthcoming. In the early 1900s, the country’s 1,100 automobile clubs did far more than provide the roadside assistance, maps, and towing services familiar to AAA members of today. Auto clubs also provided, free to their…
One of the key challenges for the legal profession when considering AI is its tendency to produce inaccurate information
On 7 March, the ABA Judicial Division, in collaboration with Thomson Reuters, organised a webinar to address the challenges encountered by lawyers when using generative artificial intelligence software, such as ChatGPT, and in particular its tendency to produce inaccurate information, a phenomenon referred to as “hallucination.” The webinar covered various approaches to this problem. One…
Client Due Diligence: Anti-Money Laundering and Ethical Obligations for Lawyers
Hardy, P. D., & Danch, S. Client Due Diligence: Anti-Money Laundering and Ethical Obligations for Lawyers. When the so-called “Panama Papers” scandal broke in 2016, it cast an unpleasant spotlight on the potential role of lawyers across the globe assisting – knowingly or unknowingly – their clients in money laundering, tax evasion, and other illegal…
The Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS) produces report exploring civil justice reform
In Autumn 2021, IAALS launched the Paths to Justice virtual summit series, focusing on challenges and opportunities for systemic change in the justice system. The series fostered conversations among stakeholders and led to the publication of various white papers corresponding to key discussions. These papers have now been consolidated into a single report titled “Paths…
How do lawyers engineer and develop LegalTech projects? A story of opportunities, platforms, creative rationalities, and strategies
Over the last 15 years, the working context of lawyers has undergone many changes. Evolving in an increasingly competitive, deregulated, and globalized market, they are subject to higher tax pressure while being exposed to unbridled technological innovation. Indeed, a growing number of entrepreneurs are using digital solutions to provide online legal services that are supposed…