Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic
Thanks to the Donner Fellowship, I am spending my summer at the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic. The Clinic provides free legal, counseling, transitional support and interpretation services for women survivors of domestic violence.
During my time at the clinic, I was entrusted with two main projects. First, I was responsible for designing and developing a lawyer referral policy for the Legal Department. In the past, referrals were often made on an informal basis with no uniform protocol for screening or monitoring lawyers on our list. Under the guidance of both the Clinic's Legal Director (Mary Lou Fassel) and the Legal Intake Worker (Paula Alves), I was able to draft a policy proposal that includes: mechanisms for recruiting and replenishing the list of referral lawyers, legal knowledge checklists and selection criteria lawyers must meet in order to be included on our list, regular monitoring of lawyer performance and client feedback, and finally standard protocols for handling client complaints.
My other main project involved developing a set of legal education materials on the criminal justice system for women who are actively participating in criminal proceedings, whether as Crown witnesses, complainants, or women who are facing charges themselves. I wrote comprehensive summaries on aspects of the trial process that survivors of violence may come into contact with: general information about criminal law; how the court determines the admissibility of certain forms of evidence; how the law on records applications and sexual history evidence has changed in recent years; what accommodations are available for victim-witness testimony in court; what the Crown needs to prove in order convict someone of assault, sexual assault or criminal harassment; what compensations are available for victims of violent crime; and finally how courts reach interim release and sentencing decisions.
In order to create these materials, I researched the relevant statutes, case law and Crown policies on the prosecution of offences related to violence. I was also able to sit in on CICB hearings and sexual assault trials as part of my research.
Apart from these two projects, I was given the opportunity of conducting client work with a staff lawyer (Alice Cranker). I helped update a client's application for permanent resident status under Humanitarian and Compassionate reasons, and also conducted research for an upcoming case before the Human Rights Tribunal, with respect to the duty to accommodate disability in the provision of services.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement at the Schlifer Clinic this summer. I have learned and been exposed to so much more than even I had anticipated. I am grateful to the Donner foundation and PBSC, who made this experience a possibility.
