TAG - The Action Group on Access to Justice

TAG – The Action Group on Access to Justice is a community of people and institutions committed to working collaboratively to find new solutions to access to justice challenges. 

Visit the TAG Website for the latest information on TAG. 

TAG was launched in June 2014 with an initial list of almost 200 individual and organizational participants. The TAG community is currently developing a common agenda, a framework for collaboration and shared mechanisms to measure success. TAG will continue to move forward with support from the Law Foundation of Ontario and with the Law Society of Upper Canada acting as a catalyst organization. Please contact TAG at tag@theactiongroup.ca

 Additional information:

• Updated: Legal Organizations and Access to Justice Activities in Ontario – May 2014 (PDF)  
• Summary of innovative access to justice ideas survey – June 2014 (PDF)
• Media release – June 3 launch of TAG
• Examples of TAG collaborative initiatives 
• Treasurer's Advisory Group on Access to Justice (TAG) Working Group Report to February Convocation- Full report (PDF)
• TAG Working Group Report (no appendices) (PDF)

Related reports:

• First Nations Representation on Ontario Juries, Report of the Independent Review Conducted by The Hon. Frank Iacobucci, Feb 2013 (PDF)
• Treasurer's Advisory Group on Access to Justice Participant Groups and Organizations (PDF)
• Access to Justice Themes: "Quotable Quotes", October 29, 2013 (PDF)
• Creating a Climate for Change, Report from TAG Symposium, October 29, 2013 (PDF)
• Access to Civil and Family Justice, A Roadmap for Change, October 2013 (PDF)
• Reaching Equal Justice Report: An Invitation to Envision and Act, The Canadian Bar Association (PDF)
• The National Self-Represented Litigants Project: Identifying and Meeting the Needs of Self-Represented Litigants, Final Report, May 2013 (PDF)
• Listening to Ontarians, Report of the Ontario Civil Legal Needs Project (PDF)

Background

In February 2014, Convocation (the Law Society's board of directors) approved a new framework that will enable the Law Society to take on an enhanced role in facilitating access to justice and move forward with a more strategic and holistic approach.

There are two key, complementary, components to the framework:

• The Law Society will develop focused internal resources to fully integrate access to justice objectives, including equity principles, into the Law Society's core business functions: professional regulation and professional development and competence.
• The Treasurer's Advisory Group on Access to Justice will be reconstituted as a standing forum called The Action Group on Access to Justice. The purpose of the forum will be to foster change and collaboration and the Law Society will help ensure its success with dedicated support.