04/27/2026
The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice is pleased to announce the appointment of Jean-Paul Bevilacqua (http://linkedin.com/in/jpbevi) as its next Director, effective May 1, 2026.
Jean-Paul brings a distinguished record of leadership in access to justice through legal education, research, and community engagement. Most recently, at the Ontario Justice Education Network, he collaborated with schools, communities, and justice-sector partners to develop programs and resources that empower young people to better understand and respond to legal challenges in their daily lives. He also helped shape public-facing initiatives that translate complex legal concepts into accessible tools for broader audiences.
Prior to this, Jean-Paul served as Assistant Director of the Winkler Institute for Dispute Resolution at Osgoode Hall Law School. A graduate of Osgoode, he received the Dean’s Gold Key and the Legal & Literary Society Award in recognition of his service and contributions to the law school community. At the Winkler Institute, he led and supported research and initiatives spanning family law services, community mediation, and collaborations with Indigenous youth working to reimagine the justice system. Alongside these responsibilities, he was a dedicated educator in Osgoode’s mediation program and, as course and clinic director, helped shape the next generation of dispute-resolution practitioners. His excellence in teaching was recognized with the Adjunct Faculty Teaching Award in 2020.
Earlier in his career, Jean-Paul gained experience with the Court Services Division at the Ministry of the Attorney General, grounding his approach in a practical understanding of how the justice system operates and where it can better serve the public.
His broader achievements have also been recognized by Victoria University at the University of Toronto, where he received the Emerging Leader Award in 2025. He currently serves on the Victoria University Senate Executive and was recently invited to deliver a convocation address.
Throughout his career, Jean-Paul has worked across academic, policy, and community settings, gaining perspectives on access to justice from both research and frontline program delivery. This cross-sector perspective positions him to continue and enhance CFCJ’s mandate to produce evidence-based research that supports policy and program development that meets the needs of the public.
According to Trevor Farrow, Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School, “as he steps into this position, Jean-Paul brings a breadth of experience and a collaborative, people-centred approach to advancing justice reform at this pivotal moment for our justice community across Canada.” When speaking about the CFCJ, which is located at Osgoode, Farrow said that “we are extremely proud of the CFCJ’s decades-long contributions to cutting-edge legal research and people-centred policy reform locally, nationally and globally.”
Jean-Paul is grateful to the CFCJ for the opportunity to lead the organization. He’s eager to build upon the CFCJ’s nationally and internationally recognized standing and expand its reach and impact across Canada while honouring the legacy of its previous director, Lisa Moore, whose passing continues to be deeply felt. According to Farrow, “we obviously continue to miss the leadership and dedication of Lisa Moore. We are extremely grateful to Nicole Aylwin, a long-time leader at the CFCJ and justice champion in Canada’s legal community, for her interim leadership and dedicated guidance at the CFCJ. And the CFCJ warmly welcomes Jean-Paul as its Director and we look forward to this next chapter.”
