Jennifer Bergman is a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) candidate at the University of Toronto. Before commencing the SJD in Fall 2018, she completed a Master of Laws at the University of Toronto, examining how, in practice, the law fails to protect children with mental health issues due to the way that mental health issues are defined in both the family law and criminal justice systems, and because neither system recognizes the importance of intersectionality. Building upon the knowledge gained from her LL.M. research, her doctoral research explores the relationship between the law and the unmet mental health service needs of young people with mental health issues who are engaged with the family law (child welfare) and youth criminal justice systems, with a focus on how legal and policy frameworks, as written and as applied in practice, affect the experiences of these youth, particularly in terms of access to needed mental health supports and services, and how changes in the ways laws and policies are drafted and implemented can help to reduce the gap between service needs and service use.
Jennifer’s interest in the relationship between law and society generally, and in how different variables intersect and affect people’s perceptions and experiences, was substantially shaped by her undergraduate work in sociology. In pursuing her Bachelor of Arts at the University of British Columbia, she did considerable research on the interaction between immigration laws, the experiences of foreign domestic workers in Canada, and gender equality. Following receipt of her B.A., Jennifer obtained an LL.B. from the University of British Columbia. She subsequently received a Master of Laws, with a specialty in Alternative Dispute Resolution, from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University.
In the LL.M. program at Osgoode Hall Law School, Jennifer conducted a survey of practicing mediators and, using this original research, as well as existing research, produced a thesis which analyzed the sources of power mediators possess, and how they are used. The results of her thesis research were published in an article in the Canadian Arbitration and Mediation Journal. She has also co-authored numerous legal papers, several of which have formed part of the curriculum at continuing legal education courses put on by The Law Society of Ontario, The Advocates’ Society, and Osgoode Professional Development.
Jennifer is a member of the Bar in British Columbia and Ontario, and has practiced law in both provinces. She has spent the bulk of her legal career practicing family law. And, it was her experiences in this practice, that fueled her interest in children’s mental health issues, and prompted her to return to academia in Fall 2017.
