Why you should care about access to justice | Andrew Pilliar | TEDxRenfrewCollingwood

If you needed a lawyer, could you afford one? Most of us will experience a legal problem at some point, but the vast majority do not seek legal help. Dealing with legal problems without legal help can lead to injustice, frustration and delay, and even poor health. Andrew Pilliar explains why we should all care about access to justice, and outlines some solutions.

Andrew Pilliar worked as a litigation lawyer, both at a boutique firm and at one of Canada's largest law firms. In the course of his work, he saw legal access problems first-hand by representing a number of pro bono clients. Many of these clients had good cases, but couldn't afford a lawyer and didn't qualify for legal aid. Troubled by this problem, Andrew returned to graduate school to try to figure out a better system.

Andrew is currently completing a PhD in law at the University of British Columbia, where his research focusses on improving access to civil justice. He has worked on federalism matters in Sri Lanka, studied comparative constitutional law in Hungary, and clerked at the British Columbia Supreme Court. Andrew has been a Junior Fellow at Massey College at the University of Toronto and was an Action Canada Fellow in 2012/2013.

via www.tedxrenfrewcollingwood.com

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