Many people don’t access our justice system because they don’t even know they have a legal problem.
They worry about what that experience would be like if they did.
How do they know where to go or who to turn to? What is expected of them at a law office or court house? What are they supposed to do? Or worse, not do? What options you they have? And what kind of justice will they get anyway?
Better yet, how can people avoid getting into a legal predicament in the first place?
These are the kinds of questions that people who provide various public legal education services in Alberta ask themselves on a daily basis. Then they set out to devise ways to address them.
These questions are particularly key to the work done by the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta which now has over 35 years in developing innovative programs, resources, and services to help landlords and tenants, charitable organizations, seniors, victims of domestic violence, homeless youth, students, teachers, and almost everyone else get the legal knowledge they need to deal with very immediate problems they are experiencing in their families, workplaces, or communities. Every year over one hundred volunteers, most of them lawyers, work with the multidisciplinary professional staff of CPLEA to bridge the gap between the public and their legal system, not only to enhance access to legal remedies but also to create more satisfying experiences with the justice system.
Fundamental to the maintenance of a peaceful and orderly society is respect for the rule of law. Respect is built on a solid foundation of knowledge, positive experiences with the legal system, an understanding of both the power of the law and its limits, and a robust concept of justice. Building that foundation is what public legal education is all about.
The current Executive Director of CPLEA is retiring. As a result, CPLEA is now seeking an Executive Director to continue to provide leadership within the province but also nationally and internationally in enhancing the accessibility and quality of justice realized in Canada. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with a passion for social justice, an understanding of the legal world, the personality and skills to lead a dynamic organization, and the experience to manage a medium-size charitable organization. For more information about both CPLEA and the Executive Director position, visit www.cplea.ca.
Lois Gander, Q.C.