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Journal of Law and Social Policy

About This Journal

The Journal of Law and Social Policy (JLSP) seeks to encourage debate and dialogue on important issues at the intersection of law and society, particularly as they impact low income individuals and disadvantaged communities. In addition to issues relating to housing and shelter, income maintenance, social assistance, human rights, health, employment, education, immigration and refugee law, mental health law, criminal and family law, the Journal is also interested in a range of questions about lawyering and social change, including the exploration of non-traditional legal strategies such as community organizing. Access to justice is a recurrent theme, as is the role of legal education in developing professional norms and practices in which social justice is an organizing aspiration. The Journal welcomes submissions from community legal clinic practitioners, students, the private bar, the academic community, activists, organizations, and community members with direct experience of law’s impact. The Journal invites collaborative, inter-disciplinary and comparative work with a view to deepening dialogue across jurisdictions, disciplines, theoretical frameworks, and on-the-ground experiences of engaging law. In addition to scholarly articles, the Journal encourages critical commentaries, reflective essays—including work that speaks to the impact of law and social policy on human experience—and book reviews for the Voices and Perspectives section of each volume. Non-traditional and creative works are encouraged, for example creative non-fiction and poetry. While the JLSP encourages a diversity of viewpoints and submission formats, not every submission will be published.

HISTORY

Founded in 1985 the JLSP was originally a publication of the Ontario Association of Legal Clinics. In 1989 the Ontario Legal Aid Plan assumed responsibility for the publication of the Journal, and its successor, Legal Aid Ontario, continued to publish the Journal until 2009/10. Throughout the many years of its publication the JLSP was governed by a volunteer Editorial Board comprised primarily of staff from Ontario’s community legal clinics. Through the dedicated support of the CRO, the Editorial Board, LAO, and the staff of Ontario’s clinic system, the Journal has contributed significantly over the years to the broad areas of law and social policy impacting the communities served by Ontario’s community legal clinics. The JLSP ceased publication in 2009/10 and was re-launched by Osgoode Hall Law School in 2014. Osgoode Hall Law School is honoured to continue the tradition so well established by the JLSP of publishing important works on law, social policy, and justice for low income individuals and disadvantaged communities.

OPEN ACCESS

The JLSP publishes on-line and is available free of charge. The JLSP believes strongly that its content should be fully open and accessible to the broadest possible audience.