ABSTRACT
Social media has become ubiquitous in the daily lives of Canadians. It is not surprising, therefore, that individuals are also turning to social media to help resolve their legal problems. This crowdsourcing of legal services raises numerous issues that warrant further examination. From a professional and regulatory perspective there are legitimate concerns about the quality of information and advice that is provided. Yet, there is also an ongoing and pressing access to civil justice crisis wherein professional legal services are simply beyond the reach of most people. In such a context, social media presents a potential path to justice for those who would otherwise have no access to legal assistance. This paper presents the findings of a study examining the crowdsourcing of legal research and legal advice and is intended to provide an empirical foundation that can inform future discussions on how to respond to, integrate, or regulate crowdsourced legal services. It concludes that both crowdsourced legal research and crowdsourced legal advice may be appropriate in certain contexts and that the legal community should make room for these as an access to civil justice solution.
Dylag, Matthew, Crowdsourcing Justice (February 2, 2024), 20:2 Canadian Journal of Law and Technology 153, 2024.
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