"Jealous Guards": The Legal Profession and Future Legal Services

Jumping Off the Ivory Tower with Prof JulieMac

Richard Susskind (Professor, University of Glasgow, O.B.E., and author of 7 books) has spent the last 25 years speaking up about the need to modernize legal services, and the increasingly acute need to democratize public access to both justice and justice assistance. In his conversation with Julie, who has worked on many of the same issues, Richard discusses the future of online dispute resolution, the need for the diversification of legal services and online assistance far beyond lawyers, the need for the legal profession to bring "added value" to clients rather than acting as the "gatekeepers" of legal services, and the impact of the pandemic on both our assumptions and our experiences of what "works" to promote Access to Justice. Please also stay tuned to the end of the episode for our other news segment – Jordan Furlong challenges white people to take a stand for anti-racism, and commit to taking action, particularly within the justice system. We are currently preparing our season finale (June 23), devoted to the Black Lives Matter movement, and what you can do to help – please tune in. Our guest news correspondent, Jordan Furlong, discusses how the murder of George Floyd has led to protests and demonstrations around the world, the potential for lasting change coming out of the Black Lives Matter movement, his own self-examination, and the necessity for everyone to closely examine their privileges, biases, and assumptions, and recognize the ways in which they have supported systemic racism; Jordan challenges white people to “show up” by educating themselves, and then taking action; he particularly addresses white privilege and over-representation within the legal profession, and reminds us that the justice system does not work for a vast majority of Canadians, particularly Black Canadians, and other people of colour. Please see the link below for a list of reading material and resources. For related links and more on this episode visit our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/jealous-guards-the-legal-profession-and-future-legal-services/ Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Jordan Furlong; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.