Invitation to participate: Justice Week 2020: 24 - 27 Feb

The Bar of Ireland invites you to support and participate in this year’s Justice Week 2020 awareness campaign.

What is Justice Week?

The aim of Justice Week is to promote awareness of access to justice issues and the rule of law. The focus of the 2020 campaign is to engage with our younger citizens (under 25s) to improve their understanding of the importance of the justice system, and to demonstrate the possibilities that the law can provide in protecting their fundamental rights and freedoms.

Each day (Monday to Thursday – 24 -27 February) will carry a distinct theme:

Monday, 24 - Protecting Freedom

Tuesday, 25 - Fighting for Rights

Wednesday, 26 - Defending Democracy

Thursday, 27 - Saving the Planet

How your organisation can get involved.

The week is a unique platform for all organisations with an interest in access to justice and rule of law, to highlight their work and campaigns.

You may have activities, policy priorities, research and other outputs that can be promoted using the #justiceweek tag. Your members are also invited to engage with the issues and we would be grateful if you could advertise the week amongst your base. 

We are keen to encourage a broad range of people and organisations to get involved with the daily themes and to be as creative as possible. The more people are involved, the greater the impact will be.

What The Bar of Ireland is doing.

The Bar of Ireland is seeking to establish the week across the wider justice and legal policy community, in order to draw attention to priorities, and to inform and educate our intended audience.

Activities include:

• A debate between the main university Law Schools on the theme of ‘This House believes that law is politics by other means’, under the theme of Defending Democracy
• A mock trial between the students of St. Audeon’s National School under the theme of Protecting Freedom
• Video content based on interviews from those working in the justice field, in particular on the theme of ‘Saving the Planet’ and ‘Fighting for Rights’
• Highlights of some of our policy and public interest initiatives, for example in the context of family law and court resourcing

Themes of the week reflect many of the common challenges facing citizens and states across Europe and beyond.  Bringing attention to the importance of law and the courts in addressing these challenges is, in our view, an important and continuous exercise.

What The Bar of Ireland can provide your organisation

The Bar of Ireland has devised a number of posters for each of the themes, attached – you may find them useful to include in your communications, both online and offline.   In addition, we are open to retweet, promoting and supporting your own participation in Justice Week, through the appropriate channels.  Find attached also the Justice Week logo and social media artwork for the week.

This is the first year that The Bar of Ireland joins with our colleagues in the UK in the awareness raising campaign -  the Bar Council of England and Wales, Bar of Northern Ireland and the Faculty of Advocates, Scotland.  The intention is to build on the week, and to involve the many voices in the legal policy and justice sector.