Podcasts by Jumping Off the Ivory Tower with Prof JulieMac
Scholar and activist Julie Macfarlane talks with visionaries, social justice warriors, and legal system “disrupters” about their motivations and how their experiences have changed them – for better or for worse.
Further podcasts by National Self-Represented Litigants Project
Podcast on the topic Gesellschaft und Kultur
All episodes
A Kid's Eye View Of The Pandemic from 2021-06-29T13:46:32
Today’s season finale was a labour of love! Working with guests ages 4 and up is, well, challenging, for both interviewer (Julie) and production editor (Brauntë). But it was well worth it!
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Struggling For Accommodation from 2021-06-15T15:31:03
Today’s podcast focuses on the experiences of people with cognitive disabilities (PWCD) who are trying to navigate the courts without a lawyer.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, we hav...
Men On #MeToo from 2021-06-01T15:17:03
Today’s episode explores how men and women can talk – really talk – about how society confronts the extraordinary predominance of male-on-female sexual violence (which studies consistently show acc...
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Legal System Change: Are We Still Just Tinkering? from 2021-05-18T14:00:31
Trevor Farrow is a well-known Access to Justice advocate and researcher who has been pushing forward system change in the justice system via the Canadian Civil Justice Forum, which he heads. Randi ...
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NDAs: Protecting Abusers Since the '90s from 2021-04-27T14:15:44
Zelda Perkins exploded into public view in 2017, the first woman to break a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) signed with Harvey Weinstein decades earlier. Zelda worked as a Production Assistant for M...
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What is My Lawyer Spending My Money On? from 2021-04-13T15:57:58
Today’s episode features the story of a family self-represented litigant, who was originally represented by two different lawyers. She spent $20,000 on her first lawyer – resolving an uncontentious...
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How Universities Fail to Protect Students from 2021-03-30T14:16:40
On today’s episode Julie talks to Heather Savigny, formerly Professor of Gender Studies at De Montfort University in Leicester in the United Kingdom. Heather supported a student – whom she had witn...
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The Long Wait for Family Paralegals In Ontario from 2021-03-16T14:22:37
Lisa Trabucco is an Assistant Professor at Windsor Law, with a special interest in access to justice and paralegals. In this week’s episode, Julie talks to Lisa about her just-completed doctoral di...
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Black Clients Matter from 2021-03-02T16:16:22
Working with a lawyer for the first time is an intimidating experience, especially because for most of us it is a final resort in a stressful conflict. Some of these “first time” experiences are be...
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The Whistleblowers: Challenging Police Culture from 2021-02-16T16:02:26
Today’s podcast focuses on the remarkable campaigns of two women police officers (one of whom has now left the force) who have told the police departments in Waterloo and Windsor, Ontario, “you nee...
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Justice as a Service from 2021-02-02T17:04:15
NSRLP has begun working with several administrative tribunals to assist them in adapting their systems and skills to the volume of self-represented litigants they see each year.
Today’s po...
It Couldn't Happen to Me... Again? from 2021-01-19T15:19:36
Welcome to season 6! Our guest today is Jennifer Muller, who was the subject of our very first (and very popular) podcast episode, “It Couldn’t Happen to Me,” in September 2017, when she described ...
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Janice's Story - and a request from 2020-12-07T15:05:19
Janice's self-represented litigant story is one in thousands that we've heard. Please consider donating to NSRLP this holiday season, and help us reach our end-of-year goal of $5000, so that we can...
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Going Public *Special Episode* from 2020-11-19T16:23:02
JOIT is still on hiatus (look for season 6 to begin in early 2021!), but we’re releasing this special episode to explore Julie’s incredible new book, Going Public: A Survivor’s Journey from Grief t...
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Living Black Lives from 2020-06-23T15:52:25
Today’s episode is dedicated to the personal experiences of two good friends of NSRLP who speak to what it meant for them to grow up as Black people in predominantly white communities in Canada. Mo...
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"Jealous Guards": The Legal Profession and Future Legal Services from 2020-06-09T15:23:09
Richard Susskind (Professor, University of Glasgow, O.B.E., and author of 7 books) has spent the last 25 years speaking up about the need to modernize legal services, and the increasingly acute nee...
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Comfortable Being Uncomfortable from 2020-05-26T16:31:59
Each year NSRLP "graduates" law student research assistants (RAs) who have worked with us over the previous three years. These prospective lawyers have had an "immersion program" in working with me...
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Vexatious in Alberta: A Victory for Self-Reps from 2020-05-12T15:27:12
This week Julie talks to lawyers Colin Feasby (Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP) and Brynne Harding (Bennett Jones), who jointly represented NSRLP pro bono in our recent intervention in Jonsson v Lymer...
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That was Then and This is Now from 2020-04-28T16:15
This week’s episode features an interview about A2J issues with Mr. Justice Choudhury of the High Court of England and Wales, also President of the Employment Appeal Tribunal. Justice Choudhury is ...
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Still Open For Business from 2020-04-14T14:28:52
Today’s episode features Julie’s conversation with Shannon Salter, Chair of the Civil Resolution Tribunal in British Columbia, which is Canada’s first online tribunal (and one of the first in the w...
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How 21st Century Needs (and COVID-19?) are Changing Legal Services from 2020-03-31T14:34:51
What would legal services look like if they were designed to maximize efficiency, rather than tradition and privilege? What would the courts look like? Very different in each case, as our guest Jor...
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NSRLP Goes West from 2020-03-17T15:40:02
This week Julie speaks with Andrew Pilliar, Assistant Professor of Law at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC, and now Director of the new NSRLP West chapter. Some years ago Andrew shifted a...
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It's Not About You from 2020-03-03T16:02:08
University of Toronto Professor and Schwartz Reisman Chair in Technology and Society (and recent co-recipient of the David Mundell Medal for Legal Writing) Gillian Hadfield speaks with Julie about ...
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We're Only Human from 2020-02-18T14:25:32
Orlando da Silva has changed the conversation inside the legal profession around mental health. Julie talks with Orlando about his decision to go public with his own mental health challenges, and t...
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An Accountable Legal Profession from 2020-02-04T15:04:18
There has been a lot of recent discussion about the complaints process at the Law Society of Ontario (and other law societies). How should law societies regulate and discipline lawyers, and how do ...
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National Self-Represented Litigants Project, 2020 from 2020-01-21T18:13:36
Welcome to season 5, and our 50th episode! This week we focus on the future: Julie and Dayna discuss Julie’s upcoming induction into the Order of Canada (!), and what comes next, both for her and f...
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Still Holding Out for Democracy *Special Re-release* from 2019-08-21T15:52:07
JOIT is still on hiatus, but in light of the current increasing unrest in Hong Kong, we're re-releasing this episode from the winter of 2018, with a new introduction from Julie. Benny Tai has spent...
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Whacked - A Legal Farce in One Act from 2019-06-25T13:55:24
This week (our season four finale!) we present a very different type of episode for Ivory Tower... last year, one of Julie’s students at Windsor Law, Micah Pirk O’Connell, submitted a play as his f...
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Facing a Broken System from 2019-06-18T14:24:50
This week’s episode is taken from a keynote speech recently delivered by Julie and her husband and professor of conflict resolution, Bernie Mayer, to the joint annual conference of the Ontario Asso...
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Nothing About Us Without Us from 2019-06-11T13:52:42
This week, Julie talks to her colleague, Dr. Laverne Jacobs, Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Windsor, and Director of the Law, Disabilities and Social Change Project (LDSC). La...
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NDAs: A Toxic Bargain from 2019-06-04T14:00:01
Today’s episode addresses the increasingly contentious and much-discussed issue of non-disclosure agreements in terminations for sexual misconduct. NDAs, as they are known, are sometimes justified ...
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Profound Implications from 2019-05-21T13:58:49
Our episode this week deals with the most recent case that NSRLP has acted as intervenor for, at the Ontario Court of Appeal – Kawartha-Haliburton CAS v MW, Curve Lake First Nation and Office of th...
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Opening Our Eyes To Trans Rights from 2019-05-14T14:27:15
Today’s episode features a conversation with Jayce Carver, founder and Executive Director of Windsor-Essex Trans Support, the first ever transgender drop-in and resource centre in Canada. Since sta...
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Can BC Lead The Way On Paralegals? from 2019-05-07T15:30:46
The scope of practice for paralegals, especially to help family litigants, has become a central issue in the debate over A2J in Canada. In this episode, Nancy Merrill, a family lawyer and mediator,...
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The Second Assault from 2019-04-23T14:55:59
This week’s episode includes conversations with three young women who have had upsetting and demoralizing experiences bringing complaints about sexual assault or harassment to police. Hannah Kurchi...
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Is "Our Society Your Society"? with Malcolm Mercer from 2019-04-16T17:12:28
This week’s conversation is with Malcolm Mercer, the Treasurer of the Ontario Law Society and the elected leader of the legal profession in the province. Julie draws Malcolm out on critical issues ...
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The Courage Of Your Convictions from 2019-04-09T13:47:24
Today’s episode features an extraordinary advocate for LGBTQ rights in the Muslim community, Siddika Jessa. In 2017, Siddika was the Secretary General of the Organisation of North American Shia Ith...
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Carrot or Stick? Moving Forward in BC from 2019-04-02T13:52:44
This week Julie talks to David Eby, Attorney-General of British Columbia; Minister Eby has a broad policy mandate, encompassing improving and supporting legal aid (including services to First Natio...
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Shaking Off The Mental Health Stigma from 2019-03-26T14:28:01
Welcome to Season 4 of Jumping Off the Ivory Tower with Prof Julie Mac! For our season opener, we present Julie’s conversation with Beth Beattie, counsel with the Ontario Ministry of Health, who is...
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All The World's A Stage from 2018-12-04T16:31:47
For our final episode of the season we’re taking a look at the ways social justice issues can be addressed through theatre. Dayna talks to Chris Rabideau and Moya McAlister of Arts Collective Theat...
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How Large Law Firms Recruit Law Students from 2018-11-27T15:45:55
This week we take a close look at the process of recruitment that dominates law school for second and third year students. Eager to find a position that will be a resume builder and begin paying of...
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Meaningful Justice For Indigenous People from 2018-11-20T14:51:40
This week Jonathan Rudin from Aboriginal Legal Services talks with Julie about the social and historical reasons why it is important to offer legal and other services for Indigenous people that are...
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Meaningful Justice For Indigenous Canadians from 2018-11-20T14:51:40
This week Jonathan Rudin from Aboriginal Legal Services talks with Julie about the social and historical reasons why it is important to offer legal and other services for Indigenous Canadians that ...
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Legal Services For 21st Century Clients from 2018-11-13T16:32:48
This week Julie talks with Professor Noel Semple, her colleague at Windsor Law and a member of the NSRLP Advisory Board, about finding the right balance between a legal profession that is independe...
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Public Voices Matter from 2018-11-06T16:25:19
This week on the podcast we hear from delegates at the NSRLP’s recent 5th Anniversary event, “Continuing the Dialogue”, which brought together people from across the justice system, including self-...
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Judges and SRLs: Continuing the Dialogue from 2018-10-23T15:47:34
Today Julie talks to Justice David Price of the Ontario Superior Court, where he sits as a family court judge, about two issues that regularly raise anxieties and challenges for self-represented li...
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Still Outsiders? 18 Months Post-Pintea from 2018-10-16T14:29:25
Today Julie and Dayna discuss what has been happening in Canadian courts following the Pintea decision, made 18 months ago by the Supreme Court of Canada, which set a new standard for how courts de...
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Striving For Truth And Reconciliation from 2018-10-02T15:42:34
This week Julie has an illuminating conversation with Beverly Jacobs and Valarie Waboose about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: what real, earnest reconciliation with Indigenous communities...
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Crohn's v Law School from 2018-09-25T14:10:01
This week Julie talks to Megan Campbell about coping with Crohn's disease in law school. Megan is a 2nd year student at Windsor Law, and one of NSRLP's wonderful research assistants; she happens to...
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A Scholar On Drugs from 2018-09-18T14:48:59
On today’s show Julie talks to Bill Bogart, University Professor and Professor of Law, and regular media commentator and Huffington Post columnist, about his scholarship on the decriminalization of...
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My Lawyer, My Partner from 2018-09-11T14:41:29
This week’s guest is an example of the innovative work being done by younger lawyers intent on addressing the needs of clients who cannot afford full representation, but who both need and want lega...
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50 Years Of Access To Justice Education from 2018-09-04T18:07:11
Welcome to Season Three of Jumping Off the Ivory Tower! Our season opener looks back - and forward - at 50 years of legal education at Windsor Law, established in 1968 with a mission then described...
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Repeal The Eighth: Ireland's Moment Of Choice from 2018-05-08T16:12:31
On May 25, 2018, Ireland will hold a national referendum to decide whether or not to repeal the eighth amendment to the constitution, passed in 1983, which gives equal right to life to a pregnant w...
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Shameful History: Sexual Abuse In The Anglican Church from 2018-05-01T14:05:15
This week's episode focuses on the ongoing work of the UK's largest ever public inquiry, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (https://www.iicsa.org.uk/) or IICSA. IICSA is charged with ...
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Tarion and the Building Industry v SRLs from 2018-04-24T14:04:04
Ontario's Tarion agency provides a government-backed home warranty program for problems arising with workmanship in new homes. When claims are denied, Tarion and the building industry defend that d...
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Not So Oppressed from 2018-04-10T14:21:13
This week's episode represents Julie's time in February as a guest of the University of Sydney, where she visited Professor Ghena Krayhem and other scholars and activists in Australia working to ch...
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Graduating "SRL-Certified" from 2018-03-27T15:43:51
This week Julie talks to our three graduating research assistants about what they've learned working for NSRLP, and how it will affect their legal careers.
Lidia Imbrogno has worked for N...
After Marriage Equality, What's Next? from 2018-03-20T14:13:37
This week Julie talks to Professor Paula Gerber about the marriage equality referendum in Australia last year, the ugly forces unleashed by the referendum, and its aftermath, as well as what challe...
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Holding Out For Democracy from 2018-03-13T13:49:04
This week Julie talks to Benny Tai Yiu-ting, professor of constitutional law at Hong Kong University. Prof. Tai has argued that civil disobedience may be necessary for achieving universal suffrage ...
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Legal Aid On Your iPhone from 2018-03-06T16:17:53
This week Julie talks to Sherry MacLennan, Director of Public Legal Information and Applications at British Columbia Legal Aid. Sherry and Julie talk about the hugely successful and ground-breaking...
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Let's Talk About Cancer from 2018-02-27T15:34:09
This week on the podcast Julie talks to Dr. Jacob McGee, who treats women’s cancers at the London Health Sciences Centre. Jake is also Julie’s doctor, and he has been treating her for ovarian cance...
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What's in a Name Tag? from 2018-02-20T14:50:59
Sue Rice was the original Project Coordinator at the NSRLP, working with Julie on the groundbreaking National SRL Study from 2011-13, and consulting to the US study from 2014-15. Many of the SRLs w...
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Welcome To Canada? from 2018-02-13T15:34:28
This week's podcast features our Windsor Law colleague, Dr. Anneke Smit. Anneke's work is currently focused on her research and activism on immigration, and in particular, refugee rights. This conv...
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Back To The Future Of Legal Services from 2018-02-06T14:54:23
Forrest (Woody) Mosten is a lawyer and mediator in California, where he practises family law, and provides employment and commercial dispute services. He is renowned as an innovator, and often desc...
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Are We There Yet? Tom Cromwell on Access to Justice from 2017-12-18T17:26:48
In our last episode of the season, Julie talks to former Supreme Court Justice Tom Cromwell, who is now in private practice with Borden Ladner Gervais, but remains Chair of the National Action Comm...
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Judges and SRLs: Broken Faith from 2017-12-11T19:14:01
This week’s podcast features the case of Allison Bowen, a self-represented litigant in family court, who was imprisoned for contempt on the request of her ex as a custody and child support conflict...
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Judges and SRLs: Opening A Dialogue from 2017-12-04T17:42:17
This week's episode, a conversation with Ontario Superior Court Justice David Price, is a little different from our usual fare. The aim of this episode is to present some important and practical in...
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Taking On The Church from 2017-11-27T18:32:12
This week Julie talks to UK lawyer David Greenwood about his work with victims of abuse by members of the clergy, including the church's response when victims come forward. In other news: new casel...
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Tackling Campus Rape Culture from 2017-11-20T18:44:54
This week, Julie talks to lawyer Brady Donohue about her experiences with and efforts around campus sexual assaults, and the pervasive culture of sexual assault and harassment in our society genera...
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Insiders And Outsiders from 2017-11-13T15:23:17
Julie talks to lawyer Colin Feasby about his experience as pro bono lawyer for a self-represented litigant in the now rather famous Pintea v. Johns case that made it all the way to the Supreme Cour...
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Islamophobia In Our Backyard from 2017-11-06T16:32:18
This week Julie talks with Windsor Law student Khalil Jessa about his thoughts on mounting Islamophobia in Canada, and his work to combat ignorance and hate. Plus, strains in the relationship betwe...
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Weinstein And Ghomeshi: Outing Sexual Predators from 2017-10-23T14:31:44
This week Julie talks to Toronto Star journalist Kevin Donovan, who broke the Jian Ghomeshi sex abuse scandal in 2014. Kevin and Julie discuss the role of the press in exposing powerful sexual pred...
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Just A Conservative Alberta Lawyer from 2017-10-16T15:40:01
This week Julie talks to Alberta family lawyer, and Chair of the NSRLP Board, Rob Harvie, about access to justice, the self-represented litigant crisis, and client-focused legal services - specific...
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How Far Can A Law School Dean Go? from 2017-10-10T14:42:04
This week Julie talks to Lorne Sossin, Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, about, among other things, his thoughts on former Justice Robin Camp (the “knees together” judge), his phi...
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Catch 22: No Capacity, No Lawyer from 2017-10-02T13:54:31
Julie talks to self-represented litigant Judy Gayton about her years of struggling through the justice system with a cognitive disability. Judy's story is representative of the many people contacti...
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Changing Faces In The Justice System from 2017-09-25T13:26:33
This week Julie talks with Ranjan Agarwal, partner at prestigious Toronto law firm Bennett Jones, about his (many!) appearances before the Supreme Court, about his thoughts on Access to Justice for...
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It Couldn't Happen To Me from 2017-09-15T17:28:34
In our first ever episode, Julie talks with Jennifer Muller about her experience representing herself in the battle for custody of her child, and about her current work as an access to justice advo...
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