Macdonald Hall was recently filled with students and faculty donning colourful hair pieces – they were “flipping out” to participate in the province-wide campaign “Flip Your Wig for Justice.” Showing a united front with law schools across Ontario, Queen’s Law community members took part in several activities to raise awareness of a national crisis situation, celebrate the law students and professionals who are responding to it, and support six organizations that work to combat the reality facing vulnerable Ontarians.

“We had very enthusiastic participants!” boasts student ambassador Cam Rempel, MPA’15/Law’18. Activities included a “Wacky Wig” smoker (social event), a photo booth where faculty and students posed for pictures sporting those wigs, and a lecture on “Access to Justice: Taking on Unpopular Causes,” presented by Paul Champ, an Ottawa-based human rights and labour lawyer.

Rempel is one of many who are deeply invested in the issue of poor access to justice undermining Canadians’ faith in the ability of the legal profession to be a means for all individuals to access the courts and receive the benefit of legal counsel. “Whether due to cost, inadequate information or perceived complexity of a legal challenge,” he says, “many people feel that pursuing or responding to a legal challenge is an insurmountable obstacle.

“All in all I think our school’s strong turnout shows how access to justice is becoming a more important issue and a cause for current and future lawyers to champion,” Rempel adds. “That is important for the legal profession as a whole.”

For more photos of the Queen’s campaign, visit “Queen's Law Flip Your Wig for Justice” on Facebook.