Since COVID-19 hit last year, the B.C. government suspended civil juries to protect the health and safety of people working and using the court system. The government is now looking into whether or not eliminating civil juries altogether would benefit the justice system and is reaching out to legal organizations and the public for input. Jennifer Brun had the opportunity to give her thoughts to the Vancouver Sun on behalf of the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch). She noted that civil juries provide important substantive individual rights. As such, Jennifer explained that the CBA(BC)’s view is that decisions affecting individual…

Jennifer Brun, president of the Canadian Bar Association’s B.C. Branch, spoke with Canadian Lawyer about CBABC’s report on modernizing the justice system in British Columbia. The report, entitled Agenda for Justice 2021, offers over 40 recommendations impacting 22 key areas to improve access to justice for British Columbians. The report also identifies where the legal community and the B.C. government can work collaboratively to move the justice system forward. The pandemic led to major disruptions in the justice system, but it also galvanized the court system and the legal profession to use available technologies and take the leap to virtual…