Co-Chair
Rosemary Chikwendu
Co-Chair
Leonardo Melos
Access to Justice and Legal Aid Committee
The Committee aims to gather global information on barriers to justice and solutions, focusing on statutory schemes like legal aid. Findings will be shared through reports and events, with all information available on the website for those unable to attend. Acting as a central hub within the IBA, the Committee will coordinate efforts on access to justice and legal aid, collaborating with other committees on joint projects. The IBA’s global reach will support the exchange of best practices, offering valuable insights for jurisdictions facing challenges in maintaining or improving access to justice during times of austerity.
About the Committee
The Committee seeks to gather information from around the world on the barriers to access to justice in each jurisdiction and any ways in which these barriers are overcome, with particular emphasis on statutory schemes such as legal aid.
The Committee will publicise its findings through reports and events with a view to sharing and spreading good practice. The Committee recognises that many of those who will most benefit from its work will be unable to attend international events and so will provide all information through its website.
The Committee will serve as a central coordinating point within the IBA, where all matters relating to access to justice and legal aid (given the fact that, this is a topic that overlaps with diverse other Committees of the Association) will be handled.
The Committee will work with other committees and parts of the Association in developing joint activities and projects on access to justice and legal aid.
One of the great strengths of the IBA is its global reach, and this is something that we feel will help us in the ambitious task we have set ourselves; sharing and spreading good practice on access to justice around the world. Expectations, definitions and resources vary wildly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but the concept of justice exists everywhere. We believe that the differing approaches to seeking access to justice could provide a valuable source of ideas and information for jurisdictions struggling to maintain or improve access to justice in times of austerity.
Forthcoming conferences and webinars View All Conferences
IBA Annual Conference Toronto 2025
02 Nov - 07 Nov 2025
Toronto , Canada
IBA Annual Conference Copenhagen 2026
04 Oct - 09 Oct 2026
Copenhagen , Denmark
Publications
International Bar Association Conference: Access to Justice and Legal Aid Committee Session 30 October 2023
A report on the Access to Justice and Legal Aid Committee session at the 2023 IBA Annual Conference in Paris.
Released on Jan 22, 2024
IBA Access to Justice and Legal Aid Committee: 2022 Annual Conference report
This report covers the IBA Access to Justice and Legal Aid Committee’s session titled ‘Sustainability focus: Access to climate change justice for our most vulnerable citizens’ at the 2022 IBA Annual Conference in Miami, Florida, on 1 November 2022.
Released on Jun 21, 2023
Report on the UNCSW67 side event: ‘Access to Justice – a Sine Qua Non for Inclusion and Equality’
A report on the virtual side event held during the 67th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, which took place on 9 March 2023 and was hosted by the IBA Access to Justice and Legal Aid Committee.
Released on Jun 20, 2023
Subcommittees and other groups
The Access to Justice and Legal Aid Committee also coordinates the activities of the following subcommittees/working groups.
- Access to Justice and Legal Aid Committee Advisory Board
Join us on LinkedIn
If you are a member of the Access to Justice and Legal Aid Committee, for additional networking opportunities, programs, interviews with fellow members and tips all exclusive to members, join our LinkedIn page at: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12988433/.