As a part of the Autonomy through Cyberjustice Technologies (ACT) partnership with the Cyberjustice Laboratory at the University of Montreal, the Winker Institute continues to be one of the academic partners exploring online dispute resolution to achieve access to justice. The Institute continues to be involved in this multi-year project.
Professors Patricia McMahon and Trevor Farrow together with two of the Winkler Institute’s research assistants, Methura Sinnadurai and Benjamin VanderWindt published “A Call for Evidence-Based Research in ADR” in the Canadian Arbitration and Mediation Journal
The Osgoode Mediation Clinic and Collaborative Practice Toronto launched a pro bono pilot project that provided collaborative family law services to low- and modest-income families. Modeled after a Vancouver program, the project integrated law students into a team of professionals, including lawyers, a family professional, and a financial professional. Families had to meet strict eligibility criteria, including income under $60,000, no business ownership, and no ongoing court cases or restraining orders. The process, capped at seven hours, involved intake by students and collaborative team meetings to reach partial or complete agreements. It also offered mentorship opportunities for students and new professionals.
The Family Justice & Mental Health Social Lab was a landmark collaborative project that explores how we might improve the experience of litigants with mental health challenges in the family justice system. The project took a collaborative and user-centered approach to problem solving. It brought together experts such as social workers, lawyers, mental health workers, psychologists, family physicians, academics, and children and youth advocates in an interdisciplinary environment to develop pilot projects that addressed family justice and mental health needs from a user perspective. This project was a partnership with Legal Aid Ontario and the Ontario Psychological Association.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced judicial systems worldwide to adapt rapidly as in-person legal processes became inaccessible, prompting a shift to online proceedings; this report examines how Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia introduced innovations to maintain access to justice, highlighting best practices that improved court efficiency and accessibility. Read more.
On February 3rd and 4th, students, legal professionals, computer scientists, software developers, members of the public and professionals of various disciplines came together for a hackathon designed to create technology applications to improve access to justice.
In an effort to improve the family justice process, the Winkler Institute collaborated with the Ministry of Attorney General to explore ways that technology can help support families that are involved in the family law system.
In August 2017, over 25 Indigenous youth participated in a 2.5-day design-thinking workshop to create technology solutions for a justice system that honors Indigenous traditions and experiences. Held from August 22-24, the workshop focused on recommendations from Justice & Juries – A First Nations Youth Action Plan for Justice, providing a safe, supportive space for youth to develop actionable ideas. Organized with partners like the Ontario Justice Education Network, Justice for Children and Youth, and Feathers of Hope, the workshop produced three prototypes. This project, funded by the Law Foundation of Ontario, continues into a second phase, detailed in our latest report.
In 2014 the Winkler Institute for Dispute Resolution partnered with the Université de Sherbrooke, Faculty of Law, and the Université de Montréal, Faculty of Law, to publish The Journal of Arbitration and Mediation (the Journal). The Journal was the first Canadian bilingual peer-reviewed publication to focus exclusively on dispute prevention and resolution.
The JDP was a week-long workshop for current post secondary students where students worked in a hands-on environment to learn about innovation, its various tools and methods, and how these tools are being applied in the justice sector.
The Justice Innovation and Access to Justice Program supported the development of experiential learning programs on access to justice and innovation for JD Candidates at Osgoode Hall Law School. The courses developed through the Program provide JD Candidates with an opportunity to learn the theory and tools needed to promote innovation in the legal field, apply these tools
On March 8, 2018, legal and technology experts gathered at Thomson Reuters in Toronto to address the evolving legal landscape. With rising demand for efficient, affordable legal services and an ongoing access-to-justice crisis, clients are increasingly seeking alternatives to traditional legal solutions. To meet these demands, the profession and legal education must adapt. Tomorrow's lawyers will need skills in entrepreneurship, technology, data analysis, emotional intelligence, and user-centered design. The Winkler Institute for Dispute Resolution and Osgoode’s Experiential Education Office have developed the Justice Innovation and Access to Justice Program to equip future lawyers for this shift, culminating in this conference.
How Technology is Helping Canadian Legal Systems Adapt for a Post-Pandemic World. A report by Osgoode students, Macrina Dirracolo and Jackson Andrews. Read the report.
In partnership with St. Stephen’s Community House and supported through a generous grant from the Law Foundation of Ontario, the Winkler Institute conducted extensive and thorough research into the effectiveness of community mediation. The research, completed in the winter of 2020, has been released through a full report that you can read here.
Overview of Small Claims Court Mediation Program. Read more.
In the fall of 2015, The Winkler Institute for Dispute Resolution was invited by Yukon Courts and the Yukon Department of Justice to spearhead a family justice design workshop. Assistant Director Nicole Aylwin incorporated an innovative Human-Centered-Design approach to improving and simplifying family court forms.