Transformative Discourse: Paralegal Studies and Access to Justice
HLOs: 
The Journal of Paralegal Access to Justice, edited by Professors Jasteena Dhillon and Bernard Aron from the Bachelor of Paralegal Studies provides insights into the individual challenges and societal barriers hindering access to justice for the most marginalized and what options can be considered to remedy this current situation by furthering the role of paralegals as social justice advocates.
The 2023 edition is the 4th edition of the journal and features fourteen articles written by graduates of the Bachelor of Paralegal Studies degree program. It provides a platform for addressing the issue of access to justice from various perspectives to examine and analyze access to justice barriers that face the most vulnerable communities in Ontario and Canada.
In this edition, articles cover:
- Canada’s immigration and refugee system’s inability to protect the following categories of persons: migrants, particularly migrant workers; non-citizens (students and permanent residents) who face criminality; people with disabilities who wish to emigrate; and LGBTQ+ refugees facing persecution in migration.
- Barriers faced in courts by persons with mental health issues, people of colour, children in custody battles, and the economically challenged in criminal justice.
- The rise of artificial intelligence and its impact on access to justice are examined, ranging from the use of AI to streamline legal processes, to make more objective decisions and on the other side how AI can perpetuate racial bias. One proposes innovatively that paralegals are well-placed to be the ethical gatekeepers.
- Marginalised groups of women are examined, indigenous women and women of colour with proposals for improvements to laws and the justice system.
The journal not only showcases the innovative ideas that paralegal graduates have about improving our legal system but also distinguishes Humber's paralegal programs by providing a platform that rivals law school publications, underscoring its academic rigour and commitment to transformative legal discourse.
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