Éducaloi Launches English Version of Legal Information Website

The November 2005 issue of Le Journal du Barreau, the Quebec Bar Association monthly, reports on the recent launch of the English version of Éducaloi, a Quebec non-profit Internet portal whose mission is to provide legal information in everyday language.

The English version of the site was created by a team of between 6 and 8 people. Some were volunteers with a legal background, others were law students, but each word was carefully weighed to make sure the message about people's rights and obligations was clear.

General director Nathalie Roy added that the project also helped build relationships with Quebec's anglophone minority. Meetings were held with community groups to find out about any particular legal information needs. In the past, Éducaloi has produced print and Internet material in the Attikamek and Montagnais native tongues.

The website offers lots of basic information about the law including explanations of court procedure, information sheets on many topics such as family law, consumer rights and housing, and a Public Forum that explains the legal concepts underlying current events.