Innovate

There are genuine challenges to innovation in the justice sector, including the need to protect the independence of the judiciary and the bar that creates separation between institutions and groups. The culture of précèdent and tradition has hindered experimentation. Given the extent of the A2J challenge, the sector is changing, adopting new thinking, flexibility, experimentation and user-centered approaches.

The legal system has a history of slow evolution rooted in precedent and case law. Its culture is at odds with the culture of innovation and experimentation. It has maintained a separation between legal institutions and public organizations as one of the ways to protect the independence of the judiciary and the bar. However, the access to justice challenge faced by many Canadians demands new thinking, flexibility, experimentation and user-centered approaches.

Innovation is often associated with technological changes, many of which are transforming how disputes are resolved. It also applies to how people deliver services or approach access to justice issues. These are some of the ways that the legal system innovated over 2018.