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The pressing issue of access to justice took centre stage at the sixth IDEALaw conference, held in Halifax on February 5 and 6. The conference, which is directed and run by law students every two years, was a great success, according to organizing committee members Vinidhra Vaitheeswaran and Mary Rolf.

IDEALaw is part of the long-standing Weldon Tradition of public service: the goal of the conference is to bring together students, lawyers, activists, and community members to create a conversation around social change through law. The first edition of IDEALaw was held in 2004. This year’s conference was a collaboration among four law student societies: SALSA (Social Activist Law Student Association), CARL (Canadian Association for Refugee Lawyers), SALAD (Student Animal Law Association of Dalhousie), and the ELSS (Environmental Law Students’ Society).

IDEALaw is part of the long-standing Weldon Tradition of public service: the goal of the conference is to bring together students, lawyers, activists, and community members to create a conversation around social change through law. 

Some 250 people attended the keynote address, which was given by the Honourable Justice Thomas Cromwell and held at Paul O’Regan Hall at the Halifax Central Library. Five panels that addressed a different access to justice theme drew between 70 and 115 people to each session. “Our first panel looking at socioeconomic barriers to justice had a strong turnout, even at 8:30 in the morning – we were thrilled,” says Vinidhra. The event ran smoothly thanks to the efforts of the organizing committee: George Franklin, Mario Garcia, Ria Guidone, Jessica Habet, Kevin Hong, Meaghan Jones, Daniela Loggia, Katrin MacPhee, Chris Maxwell, Kacie Oliver, Richard Robertson, and Monisha Sebastian.

Panel topics covered such issues as socioeconomic barriers to justice, access to justice in the criminal system, nonhuman animal justice, cyber justice, and immigration and refugee law. The committee lined up 20 speakers, 12 of whom were from outside of Halifax. “All of the speakers had positive things to say about the conference and Dal,” says Mary.

Big events take teamwork

The volunteer committee, which started as a small group in January 2015, saw its numbers grow as planning kicked into high gear this past May. “It was a big endeavour,” says Vinidhra. “We couldn’t have done it without the commitment of everyone on the team. Everyone worked well together.”

The volunteer committee was supported by the Dean’s Office and the Communications Office. While most of the funding came from Dalhousie grants, private donations from local law firms such as Pink Larkin and McInnes Cooper also helped put on the event. “The conference was by donation to ensure accessibility for all members of our community,” says Mary. “People were very generous, and this made it possible for others who wouldn’t have been able to attend to participate.”

In addition to fundraising to offset operational costs, the committee was committed to sustainability by carbon-offsetting speakers’ flights through the Environmental Law Students’ Society’s Carbon Consultancy Fund. With the support of the DSU Sustainability Office, the committee was able to reach its carbon-offsetting goal.

Learning by leading

“The conference was the largest event I had ever worked on,” says Mary, who with Vinidhra is a member of SALSA. “I learned a lot, especially around planning a sustainable conference by working with community partners such as the Loaded Ladle on local and eco-friendly catering options.” While it was challenging to juggle the conference planning with their school workloads, all of the students found it to be an enriching experience.

“Planning conferences like this gives students the opportunity to engage meaningfully with the justice system, legal professionals, and the community,” says Vinidhra. “As Justice Cromwell said in his keynote, the ‘insiders’ of the justice system need to do a great deal more to provide leadership for change and action. We’re so glad students have taken an interest early in their careers.”

“Planning conferences like this gives students the opportunity to engage meaningfully with the justice system, legal professionals, and the community.” — Vinidhra Vaitheeswaran

IDEALaw continues to grow and evolve as students build on previous successes. Vinidhra says this year’s committee will offer guidelines and resources to the next organizing committee, encouraging them to take ownership as they take the reins. She believes it’s most important for each group to have a strong cohesive vision. “If that’s there, everything else comes together,” she says.

Social media channels played a big role in promoting the conference – Megan Leslie, who was involved with the inaugural IDEALaw 12 years ago, even tweeted about it. “This conference wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of the panelists and attendees and the Dal and broader communities,” says Vinidhra. Adds Mary: “Everyone was willing to invest in making this a great conference.”

So soon after the conference, what can be said about its impact? As Mary wrote in The Weldon Times, “It can be tempting to question what a conference on access to justice really accomplishes in the struggle for a better system. In his closing remarks on Saturday, Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada [and Schulich Law Class of 1987] addressed the importance of discussion in the pursuit of access to justice when he told the conference, ‘Embrace dissent. Robust debate and advocacy shape the best of what society can become, ensuring a strong democracy.’ It was a good reminder that recognizing and naming the problem of access to justice is an important rite of passage for each new cohort of law students as they begin their legal careers.”