Author Archives: Kari Boyle

August 27, 2026

Meaningful Participation of Children and Youth in Justice: Voice Is Not Enough

Categories: Access to Justice, child rights, Meaningful participation, youth engagement

Reprinted with permission from Slaw.ca – published May 20, 2026 Much of the work of the BC Family Justice Innovation Lab (FJIL) has focused on our Youth Voices initiative. Coming out of an intensive design process centering the lived experience of young people, the Youth Voices Initiative aims to improve the well-being of children and youth experiencing […]

August 27, 2026

A New Home for the BC Family Unbundled Legal Services Roster!

Categories: Access to Justice, Innovation, Unbundling, User Centred

Republished with permission from Slaw.ca – published March 11, 2026 Almost ten years ago the BC Family Unbundled Legal Services Roster (the “Roster”) and Unbundling Toolkit were launched [Note 1]. We are delighted to announce that, in partnership with Access Pro Bono BC, the Roster is now being administered by the new Legal Referral Service (“LRS”). This transition marks an important milestone […]

August 27, 2026

Voice Is Not Enough: Co-Creating the Future of Child-Inclusive Mediation

Categories: Access to Justice, child rights, child-inclusive mediation, Meaningful participation

Reposted with permission from Slaw.ca – published July 20, 2026 Rachel Birnbaum and Nicholas Bala’s recent discussion paper, Shaping the Future of Child-Inclusive Mediation in Canada, is an important contribution to the ongoing evolution of family mediation practice in Canada. The paper provides a thoughtful overview of the research supporting child-inclusive mediation and reaffirms the principle […]

January 8, 2025

FJIL Welcomes Four New Board Members!

Categories: Uncategorized

We are excited to announce that at FJIL’s 2024 AGM we welcomed four amazing new members of the Board of Directors. Below are brief summaries of their impressive skills and experience. Please click on the links to learn more about each: Bev Churchill Bev is an experienced and respected BC collaborative family lawyer, mediator, arbitrator […]

November 7, 2024

How Can Unbundling / Legal Coaching Support Clients in Mediation?

Categories: Uncategorized

Reposted from Slaw.ca November 8, 2024 with permission Professor John Lande has just published a terrific article “Theory and Practice of Mediation Representation”. He has also posted a summary here. Professor Lande acknowledges that there is much more written about how to mediate (as mediator) than how to represent clients in mediation (as counsel). Given that it is […]

September 25, 2024

B.C. Supreme Court confirms children’s right to have their voice heard in family dispute

Categories: Uncategorized

In the recent case of S.S.C.M v. A.C.W., 2024 BCSC 1694, Mr. Justice Morley refused to recognize a Texas court’s order that the children reside in Texas (rather than their current home of B.C.) on the basis, in part, that: The Texas Order principally at issue here was made without hearing the Children’s views. Having […]

September 7, 2024

FJIL is seeking new Board members

Categories: Uncategorized

Do you want to help make the BC family justice system work better for families and children? Family Justice Innovation Lab Society (FJIL), a BC registered society, is seeking people who are excited about this goal to join its Board of Directors. We are committed to advancing access to justice for families, children and young […]

June 30, 2024

FJIL Seeking Project Coordinator for the new Youth Participation Expansion Project

Categories: Uncategorized

Exciting news from the Family Justice Innovation Lab Society! FJIL (through its Youth Voices initiative) and the Transform the Family Justice System Collaborative have jointly received funding from the Representative for Children and Youth to create the Youth Participation Expansion Project. We are looking for a part-time contract Project Coordinator to work with us to […]

January 26, 2023

Access to Justice Week BC 2023

Categories: Uncategorized

BC’s Access to Justice Week begins on February 4th! This is a great opportunity to find out more about A2J and initiatives across the province and country. Click here for a list and description of the many interesting events planned for this year. Thank you for your support for Access to Justice in BC! BC […]