Access to Justice: Public Confidence in the Justice System

Fort St. John, Kamloops and Kelowna Open House
The 3rd annual Law Day events in Fort St. John were a great success! Left photo: One notable event was the mock trial of Goldilocks presented by students from Ambrose Elementary School. Not only did the event draw a crowd but it provided the class with an excellent introduction to the criminal justice system. Right: Kelowna Open House. Bottom: Kamloops mock trial.

  



Nanaimo Mock Trial
Among other events, free law seminars and a question and answer period with a Supreme Court Judge, Nanaimo Law Day was as an excellent opportunity for the public to learn about the justice system in Canada. The mock trial, Regina v. The Big Bad Wolf, and free tours of the courthouse served to make it a fun day for the whole family!

        

Vancouver Open House
In Vancouver, Law Day is accompanied by a week of activities including the Barry Sullivan Law Cup Public Speaking Contest and a 5km Fun Run. The Law Day events at the Vancouver Public Library included free law classes, displays from a variety of legal organizations and the highly entertaining mock trial Regina v. Frankenstein. It concluded with a very successful free public forum on Public Confidence in the Justice System.

    



Fun Run and Barry Sullivan Law Cup Public Speaking Contest
Left and middle: More than 100 legal professionals and their friends and family participated in the 2009 5km Fun Run at Locarno Beach Park in Vancouver. The winning “Fastest Large Legal Organization” for the second year in a row was Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. The “Fastest Small Legal Organization” was Edwards, Kenny & Bray LLP. The “Fastest Male and Female” honours went to Robert Durrant of Richards Buell Sutton LLP and Kristi Zychowka of Owen Wiggs Green & Mutala LLP. Proceeds from the Fun Run benefit Law Week and the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. Right: On April 16th, students in Grades 10-12 from across the province gathered at the Vancouver Art Gallery to speak on the theme Public Confidence in the Justice System at the 2009 Barry Sullivan Law Cup Public Speaking Contest. With more than 20 participants, the competition was tough and all students did an excellent job. The winner of the competition and a scholarship was Anna Prokofieva of Sir Winston Churchill Secondary.

    



B.C. Law Week events took place with great success in Cowichan Valley, Fort St. John, Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, New Westminster, Terrace, Tri-Cities, Vancouver and Victoria. The 2009 theme, Access to Justice: Public Confidence in the Justice System, garnered a great deal of attention from the public and the media.

It was another successful year for Dial-A-Lawyer Day which was held on Saturday, April 25, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. There were 29 lawyers who volunteered to provide up to 15 minutes of free legal information assisting 185 people in five different areas of law – family, tort/MVA, immigration, criminal, and wills and estates. S.U.C.C.E.S.S and the Association Juridique Francaise participated in Dial-A-Lawyer Day.

Law Week gives the public an opportunity to learn more about the justice system in Canada through informative and entertaining events for all ages. Law Week would not be possible without the hard work and determination of our volunteers and partner organizations. For more information on all of the events that took place across the province please visit www.bclawweek.org.

This article was published in the June 2009 issue of BarTalk. © 2009 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.