In 2021, A2J organizations continued to find creative ways to respond to the increase in need for information on COVID-related legal issues while also expanding the circle of people receiving focused legal support through projects that worked with people with disabilities, immigrants and refugees, seniors, people experiencing sexual harassment or violence, artists, people in rural and remote communities, and people living in poverty. Over 5.9 million people were supported by A2J projects under Goal 1 in 2021.

In 2021, many projects focused on linguistic access to legal services, in French, Indigenous languages and the other languages spoken in the community. Other projects expanded the ways in which legal services can be provided, through students and law faculty, regulatory sandboxes, clinics and groups of lawyers engaging in focused community support, and through different fee structures.

 In 2021, courts continued to respond to the demands created by the pandemic by continuing and accelerating streamlined processes and new channels of access. Courts also began to capture data that would support learning with respect to the impact of online hearings and other pandemic changes.

In 2021, the family law sector continued to reform processes and approaches, supporting early resolution, options for representation and safety supports for family members. The exploration of new priorities, including brain science and child wellbeing, and multidisciplinary service models, continued to inspire dialogue and innovation.

In 2021, A2J Week expanded its national momentum, with the simultaneous participation of 5 provinces. A2J community collaboration across country also grew in different ways, including a new funded A2J coordinator position in Manitoba, community consultations in northern and Indigenous communities, and sector-wide work on anti-racism and anti-colonialism.

In 2021, legal education for students honed in on new issues for students such as cyberbullying and sexting, and dialogue on legal and ethical issues that arise during a pandemic. The legal community targeted education on anti-racism, reconciliation and cultural competency.

A2J innovation this year focused on collaborative community-based responses to sexual violence and pandemic challenges. Legal tech innovation continued to push boundaries including AI service delivery and virtual family advice.

 Evaluation, data collection, needs/gap assessments were a high priority in A2J in 2021, with projects focusing on developmental evaluation, community consultation, and comparative analysis of the costs and benefits of community-based justice, alternative dispute resolution in family, legal coaching and refugee services. Statistics Canada and the Department of Justice Canada released the results of the Canadian Legal Problems Survey and companion qualitative studies.