PBSC Internship Experiences 2011

Among its many programs, the University of Toronto Chapter of Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) administers the Donner Civic Leadership Fellowships and Fellowships in Aboriginal Law.  These Fellowships give students the opportunity to do public interest work full-time during the summers.

On this page, the Donner and Aboriginal Law Fellows describe their experiences during the summer of 2011. 

Anna Cooper Donner Fellow Atira Women's Resource Society "I join the chorus of past and present law students who say that you cannot underrate the importance of 'practical experience' during your time at law school.  Law in theory differs greatly from law on the ground and I found my experience with Atira reinvigorated and focused the rest of my degree…It was reassuring to find that my interest in legal research and argument was greatly invigorated by the existence of a real- life conundrum."
Samuel Yorke Donner Fellow War Child Canada (WCC) "The opportunity to work together with such a renowned non-profit organization has been tremendous. My summer as a Donner Fellow at War Child Canada has exposed me to the rewarding area of public interest law, illustrated to me alternative uses for a law degree, and has presented me with a view of the solutions to achieving justice for victims of sexual and gender based violence across the world. I am thankful to both the Donner Fellowship and War Child Canada for providing me with such an invaluable experience."	PBSC intern Samuel Yorke (second from left)
Rebeka Lauks Donner Fellow The Human Rights Legal Support Centre "The most rewarding part of my summer experience was knowing how much the HRLSC actually needs student involvement and how necessary my research was to those who wish to establish a case of systemic discrimination.  Indeed, the various lawyers at the HRLSC were very verbal in letting me know how much they appreciate my work and the Fellowship program in general for providing these opportunities…If not for the Donner Civic Leadership Fund Fellowship Program, I would not have had this opportunity.  I am extremely grateful for this experience."
Promise Holmes Skinner Callwood Fellow Olthius Kleer Townshend (OKT) LLP / Saugeen Ojibway Nation "The strengths of this project include strong mentorship from fantastic lawyers, instruction from a highly esteemed Chief, networking with various legal professionals, familiarization with working in a law firm, working in coordination with associates and other students, conducting legal research, getting helpful instruction when necessary, and being in an environment where it is easy to ask questions and receive helpful answers."
Jonathan R. Charland Callwood Fellow The Métis Nation of Ontario "The Callwood Fellowship allowed me to do research in a fascinating area of the law that has seen many recent developments and will certainly be changing with current cases such as the Cunningham case and the Hirsekorn case. It is exciting to be at the forefront of legal developments that will surely stand beside Powley in the Constitutional Law textbooks. Moreover, I have had the great pleasure of meeting many Métis citizens in the province, and making lasting connections to the MNO staff in Toronto. As a Métis, I want to thank Pro Bono Students Canada and the June Callwood Program in Aboriginal Law for this amazing opportunity to learn more about my people and where we are heading."
Emily Heersink Donner Fellow The Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) "Dedicating an entire summer to a singular project which is resulting in a tangible advocacy tool was an extremely rewarding experience, especially since I was doing so with the knowledge that the Immigration and Refugee Board had expressed interest in our findings.  However, the most stirring aspect of my experience was interacting with refugee claimants on a personal basis and knowing that they trusted me enough to share some of their most difficult moments and feelings.  It was truly an honour to listen to their stories."
Aaron Pegg Donner Fellow Edmonton Community Legal Centre (ECLC) "I hope that my work will give great benefit to the ECLC because I too have benefitted a lot from the experience. This resource building project has required me to explore not only the legal questions surrounding residential tenancy and employment matters, but also the more strategic questions which flow from thinking about how to effectively deliver quality advice to a large number of clients while operating outside of the normal billable-hours model. Furthermore, I have had the opportunity to represent a client at a residential tenancy hearing and to conduct research on topics as diverse as the priority of a mortgage claim on land titles to the matter of what constitutes abandoned goods in the common law. I am grateful to the Donner Canadian Foundation."
Camille Labchuk Donner Fellow Lawyers for Animal Welfare (LAW) "The value of this fellowship to me, personally, cannot be understated.  The field of animal law is still in the very early stages of growth in Canada.  No lawyers practice animal law full-time and there are exceedingly few opportunities for law students to gain summer work experience in this area.  I came to law school with the intention of practicing animal law and recognized that finding work in this area would be challenging.  I feel very lucky to have had this opportunity and I believe that without the support of the Donner Fellowship program, I would never have been able to work full-time for LAW over the summer because LAW simply does not have money in its budget for students.  I have no doubt that the work that I did this summer will be helpful to me in my animal law career, and I am very grateful to have had this experience."
Nir Gepner Donner Fellow East Toronto Community Legal Services (ETCLS) "The interaction with clients of ETCLS and the representation I provided them is an extremely rewarding experience; however the fact that it is complemented by the needs assessment project (which incorporates public education activities and dialogues with other service providers and residents of East Toronto) is a good exercise in the multilayered effort that is required of public interest lawyers."