She has been appointed as the only academic member of the group
Osgoode Hall Law School has announced the appointment of Assistant Professor Suzanne Chiodo to the Civil Rules Review Working Group.
Attorney General Doug Downey and Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice have announced the creation of a working group to conduct a thorough review of the Rules of Civil Procedure, which are the foundational principles guiding civil (non-family) proceedings before the Ontario Superior Court.
The initiative aims to address and reform aspects of the civil court processes to make them more efficient, affordable, and accessible for Ontarians. The group, comprising judges and members from private and public legal sectors, will focus on increasing access to justice, reducing costs and delays, simplifying complexities, maximizing court resources, and embracing technological solutions. Chiodo has been appointed as the only academic member of the group.
"I am very proud to be the academic member of this committee. It’s exciting to be a part of improving access to civil justice in Ontario,” Chiodo said.
Professor Chiodo, who joined the Osgoode Hall Law School faculty in July 2022, has a background in civil procedure, class actions, and access to justice. Her academic experience includes a tenure as a visiting professor at Western University Faculty of Law, where she taught civil procedure, class actions and other litigation-related courses. Before that, she taught tort and criminal law as a stipendiary lecturer at the University of Oxford and legal process as an adjunct faculty member at Osgoode.
Before venturing into academia, Chiodo practised law, specializing in class actions and insurance defence. She has published widely in her field. Her research interests include civil procedure, access to justice, class actions, court modernization, legal history, and the impact of COVID-19 on court processes.
Chiodo earned her doctorate in law as a doctoral fellow at the University of Oxford, where she also completed her undergraduate studies in modern history. She earned her master of laws degree from Osgoode in 2017 and a juris doctor with distinction from Western Law in 2011.
The working group is set to begin consultations with stakeholders within the civil justice system early in 2024.
