Senior Counsel Simona Jellinek is featured in an article from The Globe and Mail that discusses the proposed reforms to Canada's civil justice system, aimed at making it more accessible and efficient.
This article highlights how the Supreme Court of Canada is exploring ways to streamline processes and reduce delays that can impede access to justice. The discussions focus on integrating technology, like virtual hearings, which gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, as a permanent fixture to improve the system's responsiveness. It also touches upon concerns regarding balancing efficiency with fairness, ensuring that justice remains equitable while adapting to modern advancements.
"Consider sexual-abuse survivors entering mediation two to three years into the civil process. The defendant will often make an offer on the low end of what a jury or judge might order," lawyer Simona Jellinek of Toronto says. The survivors may be struggling on low incomes and need the money to live on. And Ms. Jellinek has to tell them it will be two more years to reach trial. “Defendants use this [delay] to pay less money,” she says. “That’s unfair. There’s no way that it should take two years to get to a trial.”
You can read the full article on the Globe and Mail website.