During National Pro Bono Week, access to justice should be at the centre of the agenda. Access has to mean openness that ensures more people are able to understand and secure their legal rights. It goes to the root of pro bono, stemming from the Latin pro bono publico: for the public good. And the public need to know what the law is, and how they can determine their entitlements, so that power cannot be exercised in an arbitrary way. That is the rule of law. READ MORE
The Russian culture minister’s dismissal of comic books as “for those who can’t read well” has sparked a backlash from fans but also boosted sales of the genre, according to one publisher. The minister, Vladimir Medinsky, told an audience at the Moscow international book fair that comics are “like chewing gum, it’s not food”. “Comic books are aimed at children who are only learning to read,” he added. “I think it’s pathetic for adults to read comic books.” READ MORE
Athlete and Player contracts contain complex terms and conditions, often set out in long standardised documents that refer to and incorporate other lengthy documents. For example, the National Rugby League Playing Contract, including schedules, is around 40 pages long, and incorporates volumes of rules, codes, the NRL operations manual and policies. READ MORE
Receiving, reading and signing a contract seems so easy, doesn’t it? But what if you cannot understand the document? What if you have not been lucky enough to learn how to read and write? In 2016 750 million people on earth – two-thirds of whom women – were illiterate. Creative Contracts makes contracts clear and understandable for everyone, regardless of their level of reading. READ MORE
Recently I conducted a very unscientific survey on social media, asking non-lawyers about what a contract is for, and for comments about their experiences with contracts. For most people, a contract is a long, written document with a lot of information no one understands. They’re afraid to sign them because they don’t understand them. They do want something that spells out an agreement, something to help everyone remember what they agreed to, and they want to be able to count on each other to perform. Almost all of them talked about contracts as a way of preventing conflict and especially not wanting to ever go to court. They want their contracts to be understandable. They want to be able to look back and remember what they were trying to accomplish in the first place. READ MORE.
SYDNEY—Hayley Wardrop didn’t know that taking a job with Australian engineering and consulting firm Aurecon would require reading a comic book. READ MORE.