Bridging the Justice Gap: A Comparative Study of Legal Aid Marketing in Canada, Australia, and the United States

Author

• Farah O. Haq, CUNY Baruch CollegeFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-28-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

B.B.A. with honors

Honors Designation

yes

Program of Study

Marketing

Language

English

First Advisor

Wei Lu

Second Advisor

Zhuping Liu

Third Advisor

Ramakrishnaiah Bezawada

Abstract

Access to justice remains a central challenge across legal systems, particularly for immigrants and refugees, Indigenous communities, and survivors of domestic violence. While legal aid organizations play a critical role in bridging this gap, their effectiveness increasingly depends on how clearly and compassionately they communicate legal information online to their target audience. This thesis conducts a comparative content analysis of nine nonprofit legal aid organizations in the United States, Canada, and Australia, three countries united by a common law tradition but divided by the communication barriers their communities face, examining 180 social media posts and nine websites through the lens of Krippendorff’s content analysis and social marketing theory. Findings show that communication strategies differ significantly across countries and populations. Organizations in the U.S. tend to emphasize direct, legal explanation and political advocacy. Canadian organizations prioritize tone, multilingual access, and partnership. Australian organizations prioritize visual storytelling rooted in community presence and regional outreach. Across all organizations, communication styles reflect distinct cultural, geographic, and historical contexts which shape how legal help is recognized, understood, and accessed. This study argues that communication is central to access to justice, as it can influence one’s trust in legal resources and encourage help-seeking behavior. It concludes with recommendations for developing clear and culturally grounded digital communication strategies. By reframing legal aid outreach as a form of social marketing, this thesis offers a model for how nonprofits can more effectively break down informational barriers and support this meaningful access to justice.

Recommended Citation

Haq, Farah O., "Bridging the Justice Gap: A Comparative Study of Legal Aid Marketing in Canada, Australia, and the United States" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/bb_etds/228