Course Code: PLBA 4500
Academic Year: 2024-2025
This course provides an opportunity for learners to examine how lack of access to justice impacts vulnerable communities who seek legal protection. As a capstone level course, legal areas that have been covered in the paralegal studies program are critically examined through the lens of access to justice. Learners analyze the impact of licensed paralegals, as a recognized profession has on ensuring that all communities are able to get access to legal information, protection and advocacy. The course will examine the impact of having regulated paralegals on accessibility to both the civil and criminal justice systems in Ontario and the federal level. Learners will be exposed to current peer-reviewed materials, speakers and practitioners and challenged to complete rigorous assessments that test their knowledge and application of law. Legislation such as the Access to Justice Act, 2006 will be considered for their impact on access to justice, such as changes made to the Limitations Act, 2002, the official status given to e-Laws and the modernizing of the underlying legal framework for Ontario law under the Legislation Act,2006 and more recently, Bill 157, Enhancing Access to Justice Act, 2024 are used.Learners are required to work on a capstone project that challenges them to identify shortcomings in the existing justice system and to present opportunities that will improve access to people to the courts, administrative tribunals and government services. In this course, learners are encourage to publish their work in the Journal for Paralegal Access to Justice, a professional publication for the paralegal profession started at Humber ITAL.