Deeply rooted in the access to justice movement in Canada, public legal education plays a critical role in ensuring that our laws and legal processes serve the needs of everyone, not just a privileged few. Across the country, PLE takes a variety of forms to help:
- Individuals achieve a moment of justice in resolving a personal matter
- Organizations better serve marginalized communities
- Ensure that for generations to come, Canadians will embrace robust notions of equality, fairness, and social justice
This is challenging work. Through a variety of diverse and innovative resources, programs, and services, Canadian PLE organizations have set high standards for what the public can expect when they want to know more about the law, how the justice system works, how to access programs and services, and how to engage with the legal world effectively.
A unique opportunity has recently become available for someone who wants to further explore the potential of public legal education to not only increase access to the justice system as we currently know and experience it, but to transform that experience and the justice system itself. The current Director of the Centre for Public Legal Education in Alberta, one of the largest and oldest PLE organizations in Canada, is retiring after serving in the position for the last six years or so. Working with a dynamic and experienced team of professions and volunteers, Dr. Rhyason’s successor will have the opportunity of participating in provincial and national level discussions on contemporary issues facing the justice system, collaborating on research and action initiatives to address pressing social concerns, and contributing to the use of the law for progressive change more generally. For more information on the work of the Centre for Public Legal Education in Alberta or the position of Executive Director, visit www.CPLEA.ca.
Guest Post by Lois Gander, Q.C.
