Document Type
Report
Publication Date
10-2018
Abstract
To celebrate the 5-year anniversary of the National Self-Represented Litigants Project (NSRLP), we decided to go back to where it all began.
The NSRLP was established following recommendations made at Opening the Dialogue: The SRL Phenomenon, an event following the release of Dr. Julie Macfarlane’s National Self-Represented Litigants (SRLs) Research Study. The 2013 event was a small, invitation-only stakeholder dialogue including self-represented litigants (SRLs), lawyers, policymakers, judges and academics, representing many different experiences within the legal system.
“Continuing the Dialogue” – held October 11 – 13 2018 at Windsor Law – adopted the same format, 5 years on. Attendees were invited from almost every Canadian province. Over the course of the event, 15 SRLs and 45 justice system representatives took part in facilitated plenary discussions, small working group discussions focused on specific issues related to SRLs and the justice system, listened to panels presented by both SRLs and justice system insiders, and attended small networking events.
For the complete attendees list see Appendix A; for the event agenda see Appendix B. An opening evening reception brought the attendees together for an initial meet-and-greet and a few hours of relaxation before getting down to work the following morning.