PBSC Summer Letters 2005

Dear Alumni,

Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC), established at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law in 1996, strives to engage law students in the noble pro bono legal tradition. This commitment ensures each new generation of lawyers enters the profession dedicated to the pro bono philosophy and practice. PBSC matches law student volunteers with an array of non-profit organizations, government agencies, legal clinics, courts and lawyers working on pro bono cases. Students perform a range of legal tasks for these "clients" under the supervision of volunteer lawyers, while contributing to a worthy cause. The program has extended its reach beyond U of T to become a national organization at 19 law schools across the country, with approximately 2,000 Canadian law students participating annually.

In addition to their other programs, U of T's PBSC also runs the Donner Civic Leadership Fellowships and the June Callwood Program in Aboriginal Law Fellowships, through which we fund students to do public interest work full-time during the summers. Below, five students working on Donner Fellowships (with public interest organizations) and for the Callwood Program (on aboriginal legal issues) report on their experiences. These students are spending their summers improving access to justice for under-served communities across Canada.

Pam Shime
National Director, Pro Bono Students Canada

Leslie Newman

Lake Ontario Waterkeeper

"Working with Mark and Krystyn, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's President and Executive Director, has been tremendous. Perhaps most valuable of all, it has reinforced my belief that individually and collectively we can make a difference in this world and the study of law gives us invaluable tools with which to do so."

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Tiffany Murray

Reynolds Dolgin

"I am spending my summer assisting an Aboriginal rights lawyer with some of his ongoing litigation ... What is especially exciting is the connection I feel with the people in Aboriginal communities who are striving to have their voices heard in our legal system and our country."

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Sarah Hudson

Parks Canada, Coastal British Columbia Field Unit

"This summer, I have been working as a research assistant responding to a set of legal questions surrounding the implementation of the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act, specifically the establishment of a National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA) in the southern Strait of Georgia."

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Claire Young

Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation (CERA) and Social Rights Advocacy Centre (SRAC)

"My project involves research for a proposed Municipal Charter of Human Rights for the City of Toronto. This Charter has the potential to have significant impacts on the lives of marginalized residents of Toronto."

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Lee-Ann Siu

Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children (METRAC)

"As part of the Sexual Assault Court Watch Programme, volunteers are monitoring sexual assault trials and other court proceedings in Toronto ... While frequent trial adjournments and delays make the monitoring process frustrating, volunteers remain enthusiastic about the program, hopeful that their efforts will mean a better, fairer day in court for sexual assault survivors."

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