Landmark gift from the Raj Anand and Lesley Valentine-Anand Foundation, in collaboration with Osgoode and the Law Commission of Ontario, will support access-to-justice research and student internships

Osgoode Hall Law School at 91亚色 announces the establishment of the Osgoode Access to Justice Fund (A2J Fund), an initiative combining philanthropic and institutional support to strengthen access-to-justice research and expand opportunities for students pursuing public-interest legal careers.

The $1 million A2J Fund is made possible by a generous gift from the Raj Anand and Lesley Valentine-Anand Foundation with matching funds from Osgoode Hall Law School. This combined investment will finance a new research fellowship at the Law Commission of Ontario (LCO) and student internships, advancing access to justice and providing hands-on opportunities for Osgoode students.

鈥淭he leadership provided by the Raj Anand and Lesley Valentine-Anand Foundation through this generous gift reflects a shared commitment to access to justice and builds on Osgoode鈥檚 longstanding leadership in this area,鈥� says Dean Trevor Farrow of Osgoode Hall Law School. 鈥淎t this critical time for the rule of law and justice, we are delighted to work with the LCO to support important research and to create these valuable opportunities for our students.鈥�

鈥淟awyers occupy a place of privilege in society and in our justice system,鈥� says Raj Anand. 鈥淚n return, they can make a concrete contribution in both domains by breaking down longstanding obstacles to society鈥檚 access to justice. I am fortunate to partner with the LCO and Osgoode, two centres of excellence  and innovation in access to justice, whose initiative will employ several interrelated strategies toward this end: creation of a new research fellowship at the LCO, and support for student education, mentorship, community engagement and the opportunity to provide access to justice as a future career.鈥�

The Osgoode Access to Justice Fund will support two key programs:

The Raj Anand and LCO Access to Justice Research Fellowship

Beginning in 2026, the Fund will support a new research fellowship housed at the LCO. Open to academics, legal professionals and postdoctoral researchers, fellows will undertake applied law-reform research at the LCO, contribute to public projects and initiatives and engage with Osgoode鈥檚 scholarly community. Where appropriate, fellows will also mentor Osgoode students, strengthening the connection between legal scholarship, policy development and professional training.

Osgoode Access to Justice Internships

The Fund will also establish the Osgoode Access to Justice Internships, providing Osgoode JD students with financial support to pursue summer placements at public-interest organizations 鈥� including legal clinics, non-profits and NGOs 鈥� that work to advance access to justice. These placements will enable students to gain practical experience in under-resourced but high-impact legal environments.

鈥淎t a time when many communities continue to face systemic barriers to legal services, this important collaboration between the Foundation, Osgoode and the LCO strengthens the connection between research, policy and practice, while supporting the next generation of justice-focused legal professionals,鈥� says Executive Director of the LCO Nye Thomas.

To encourage additional support, Osgoode Hall Law School will match the first $50,000 in new donations from alumni and friends to the Access to Justice Fund, doubling the impact of gifts in support of access鈥憈o鈥慾ustice research and student opportunities.

To make a donation, please email Osgoode Director of Development Jana Skyers at jskyers@osgoode.yorku.ca.

About the Law Commission of Ontario

The LCO is Ontario鈥檚 leading independent law reform agency. Located at Osgoode Hall Law School at 91亚色, the LCO develops practical, evidence-based recommendations through rigorous research and public engagement, with the goal of improving the accessibility, effectiveness, and fairness of Ontario鈥檚 laws.

About Osgoode Hall Law School

Founded in 1889, Osgoode Hall Law School is one of Canada鈥檚 largest and most respected centres for legal education, research, and scholarship. Osgoode offers professional, graduate, and continuing legal education programs, combining world-class academic training with experiential learning. Its faculty and students engage in research that informs law and public policy, advances access to justice, and addresses complex societal challenges. Osgoode cultivates legal leaders who contribute meaningfully to their communities, the profession, and society.

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91亚色 U legal expert co-authored report analyzing research from three African countries and Canada, highlights benefit of grassroots support in addressing global justice crisis

TORONTO, April 21, 2023 鈥� Community legal clinics, paralegal services, social workers and others assisting those who cannot easily access legal help, are a few ways of narrowing the gap in accessing justice that鈥檚 prevalent across the globe, says 91亚色 legal expert , co-author of a new international report released today.

The report, , is a review of recent studies conducted by researchers in Kenya, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Canada, to understand how effective grassroots support systems are in alleviating, if not eliminating, barriers to justice.

is part of Community-Based Justice Research (CBJR) project, funded by Canada鈥檚 International Development Research Centre. The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice (CFCJ), based at Osgoode Hall Law School at 91亚色, played a lead role in co-ordinating the project.

According to Farrow, associate dean of research at Osgoode, the inaccessibility of legal services is a common issue, be it in Kenya, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Canada, or rest of the world. In fact, the United Nations has identified access to justice as a global crisis that 鈥� through its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 鈥� requires collective efforts and shared solutions, continues Farrow.

According to earlier research from the CFCJ, approximately 50 per cent of adult Canadians will experience a legal problem in any given three-year period. 鈥淟ike the rest of the world, there is an access-to-justice crisis in Canada,鈥� notes Farrow, who also serves as chair of the CFCJ. 鈥淟aw and legal issues are everywhere, but very few people can afford legal help.鈥�

Grassroots-level support can help change this situation for the better, says CFCJ Senior Research Fellow Ab Currie, who also co-authored the report.

鈥淕etting access to trained social workers at drop-in shelters, support workers at community centres, paralegals, religious advisors and many others who work and interact with people where and when they most need help, are primary goals and benefits of community-based justice,鈥� explains Farrow. 鈥淭he core idea is to find ways to get legal services and law-related help to people in the places that they live and work, and to identify 鈥� and ideally avoid 鈥� legal problems or to help address them before they get worse.鈥�

鈥淕enerally, there鈥檚 a benefit to having these services in the community and the recent research indicates that the cost-benefit analysis is positive for these community justice services,鈥� he adds. 鈥淭here are also non-financial benefits of trust, access and awareness when it comes to supporting local help for local communities.鈥�

South African researcher Busiwana Winne Martins, of the Centre for Community Justice, agrees. 鈥淏ecause support workers are close to the community, they understand their problems and socio-economic conditions,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey share the same geographic space and culture and can negotiate plural legal systems and determine how to straddle the formal law and traditional African customary law.鈥�

People who work in the grassroots justice structures, especially community-based paralegals, are able to translate difficult legal and bureaucratic language into frames that local people can understand and help them to resolve their justice issues, she adds.

Farrow agrees that managing problems within a community and with the help of community members, is often simpler, quicker and allows for community values and interests to be present in the process. 鈥淐ommunity justice initiatives can provide exciting opportunities for innovative and inclusive problem-solving that allows for important justice options and strategies,鈥� he notes.

To help solve the access-to-justice crisis, Farrow concludes, 鈥渃ommunity-based justice provides significant and exciting opportunities for meaningful assistance 鈥� in addition to numerous other options and processes, including strong legal institutions.鈥�

With the addition of access-to-justice to the United Nations SDGs, calling on all nations to work toward equal access by 2030 is a significant move and driver for action, according to the report.

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Experts to discuss missing, murdered Indigenous women inquiry and Aboriginal rights

TORONTO, June 3, 2019 鈥� in June is a time to recognize not only the historic contributions of Indigenous peoples, but also the strength of present-day Indigenous communities.

The following 91亚色 Indigenous experts in Indigenous law and justice are available to discuss Aboriginal rights, federally-unrecognized Aboriginal communities, Indigenous language rights, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the .

Brock Pitawanakwat (Anishinaabe) is an associate professor in the Department of Equity Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. Pitawanakwat serves as coordinator of the Indigenous Studies program in the department and is a former researcher with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He has also written and co-written several book chapters and journal articles about Indigenous languages, political participation for Indigenous youth, and Indigenous resistance and revitalization.

He can comment on:

• The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
• The Truth and Reconciliation Commission
• Crown-Indigenous relations in Canada
• Indigenous language revitalization
• Anishinaabe self-determination

(Mi鈥檏maw) is a professor in the Indigenous Studies program in the Department of Equity Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, who also serves as chair of the department. Her research and publications focus on issues related to Indigenous identity, as well as equity, racism, decolonization and Indigenous justice in Canada. Lawrence is author of and .

She can comment on:

• Decolonizing anti-racism
• Urban, non-status and M茅tis identities
• Federally-unrecognized Aboriginal communities
• Indigenous justice

(M茅tis Nation of Ontario) is an associate professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, where she also serves as Director, Indigenous Outreach. Her research and teaching focus on Canadian law as it affects Indigenous peoples, Anishinaabe law, M茅tis law and property law. Drake serves as a Commissioner with the Ontario Human Rights Commission and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Human Rights Legal Support Centre. She also co-edited a book, , a collection of essays by Indigenous legal academics about renewing relationships between Indigenous peoples and Canada.

She can comment on:

• Constitutionally-protected Aboriginal rights
• Legal education in promoting reconciliation
• M茅tis and Anishinaabe legal issues
• Indigenous language rights

91亚色 champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91亚色 students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world鈥檚 most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91亚色 U is an internationally recognized research university 鈥� our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91亚色 is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni.

91亚色 U's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact: Vanessa Thompson, 91亚色 Media Relations, 647-654-9452,聽vthomps@yorku.ca

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