In 2016, the OLR created a new vision for its future, shifting from a primarily print-based model to a fully online, open-access model. This allowed the OLR to respond to one of the most longstanding complaints about law journals: their generally slow publishing periods. With its current online approach, OLR articles can be published quickly and in an open-access form. This ensures that timely contributions become available to a much larger audience. The OLR was also one of the earliest law journals in Canada to have partnered with the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) to publish articles on its open-access legal database. All OLR articles published between 1986 and 2022 are freely accessible to the public on the CanLII website.
The OLR is also innovating in how it delivers content to users. Since 2017, the journal has recorded and published podcasts with leading academics, lawyers, and policymakers. Past topics have included Indigenous laws, and the history of sexual assault law in Canada, while future podcasts will feature interviews with authors of forthcoming articles. The OLR plans to revamp its website in order to better integrate articles with podcasts, videos, and a burgeoning blog on contemporary legal issues.
The OLR is administered and edited entirely by students of the Common Law Section, under the guidance of two Faculty Advisors, Professor Kyle Kirkup and Professor Yan Campagnolo. A full list of the Board of Editors is available on the OLR website.
SSHRC’s Aid to Scholarly Journals grants support Canadian scholarly dissemination while enabling journals to explore and expand innovative activities. With this new funding, the Ottawa Law Review has ensured that it will continue to be at the forefront of legal scholarship for years to come.