Major Papers

Keywords

Resilience, migrants, legal profession, access to legal services, diversity

Abstract

Immigration is important to Canada. Migrants replenish our declining population, help drive our economy, and contribute to our labour market. By 2036, almost half of the Canadian population will be either first-generation or second-generation immigrants. While the migrant experience varies, it is recognized to be deeply challenging. Among these barriers is often the need to engage with the complex legal system during and after the settlement process.

This paper uses the literature to better understand the benefits of migrants in Canada, concept of resilience, benefits of diversity in the workplace, and how law firms can leverage diversity to perform better. This paper demonstrates how law firms can benefit simultaneously while they help migrants foster higher levels of resilience by increasing their access to legal services. Research is used to provide both practical steps to take when incorporating diversity and metrics to consider when assessing the effectiveness of these efforts.

Current news regarding corporate decisions are used to demonstrate the directions corporations and society are taking regarding their views on diversity. Recommendations are made to both the government and legal field to help address issues regarding access to legal services.

Primary Advisor

Francine Schlosser

Program Reader

Gerry Kerr

Degree Name

Master of Business Administration

Department

Business Administration

Document Type

Major Research Paper

Convocation Year

2020

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