Logging in to access justice: Wired Justice first conference to look at technology and legal aid

Sept 8 & 9, 2016 web conference on disruptive technologies for expanding legal aid is a co-production of Legal Aid Ontario (LAO), the Legal Services Society of BC, and Osgoode Hall Law School

TORONTO, Sept. 6, 2016 /CNW/ - It's no secret that the Canadian justice system hasn't yet caught up with the information age. In this time of backlogged courts and Canadians representing themselves in legal proceedings – overall, what many have called a "crisis" in justice – can technology provide some answers? This is the focus of Wired Justice, the first-ever conference dedicated to exploring technology's potential to expand legal aid services and improve access to justice for Canadians.

Roger Smith, leading law and technology researcher, and Ryerson Legal Innovation Zone Executive Director and former Ontario Attorney General Chris Bentley are Wired Justice's keynote speakers. They're heading up an all-star roster of legal innovators, including:

• ROSS intelligence's co-founder and CEO, Andrew Arruda
• Monica Goyal, founder of legal software company Aluvion Law
• Modria's co-founder and COO, Colin Rule
• Maurits Barendrecht, The Hague Institute for the Internationalization of Law (HiiL)
• Trevor Farrow, Winkler Institute for Dispute Resolution
• Jessica Frank, Center for Access to Justice and Technology at IIT Chicago-Kent
• John P. Mayer, Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction
• Christopher Alfano, Illinois Legal Aid
• Mark Benton, executive director, and Sherry MacLennan, director, public legal information and applications, Legal Services Society of BC
• The Legal Services Corporation's David Bonebrake

"The digital landscape offers unprecedented opportunities for delivering legal services and information," says John McCamus, LAO's Chair. "We're proud to jointly lead this discussion, and to bring the wealth of experience of our speakers together."

Details are available on the Wired Justice conference website at www.wiredjustice.com.

SOURCE Legal Aid Ontario

Graeme Burk, Communications Advisor, Legal Aid Ontario, [email protected], 416-347-7862