Santiago, Chile April

ROTATING PRESENTATION OF PRO BONO INITIATIVES

Pro Bono Students Canada ORGANIZATION LOGO HERE The PBSC Model : Staffing: local, law student staffing model Collaborative Governance: centralized oversight by National Office and support from local law schools Quality-Control: consistency of programming, quality- assurance and best practices Placements: rely on volunteer law student labour to increase access to justice Funding: long-term private and public sector funders and diversification of funding stream

Pro Bono Students Canada ORGANIZATION LOGO HERE PBSC Overview : Founded in 1996 at the University of Toronto National organization Operate in all 21 law schools in Canada Mandate to 1.provide law students with practical legal experiences 2.expose students to the value of pro bono 3.increase access to justice in Canada

Pro Bono Students Canada ORGANIZATION LOGO HERE “I founded PBSC at the University of Toronto in 1996 because I was troubled by the fact that law students tended to assume if you wanted to ‘do good’ on graduation, you opted for traditional poverty law practice. By championing the value of pro bono service, we were able to remind students that there are many opportunities for public interest work in traditional practice settings. I am proud of the fact that PBSC quickly became one of the key galvanizing organizations for pro bono practice in Canada.” Ronald J. Daniels, President, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland and former Dean, University of Toronto, Faculty of Law

Pro Bono Students Canada ORGANIZATION LOGO HERE 1996: 1 law school 50 law students A handful of pro bono placements 2 funders 2011: 21 law schools – every one in Canada 1451 law students – ¼ of all law students 436 pro bono placements 116,080 hours of free legal services 5 major national funders Over a dozen local funders

Pro Bono Students Canada ORGANIZATION LOGO HERE Governance

Pro Bono Students Canada ORGANIZATION LOGO HERE. Staffing Model: Every chapter staffed by law student Program Coordinators One Summer Program Coordinator Two School-Year Program Coordinators Hired by the Local Law Schools Trained and Supervised by National Office Local Oversight by “On-Site Supervisor” at the law school

Pro Bono Students Canada ORGANIZATION LOGO HERE Role of Program Coordinators: Network with and recruit local organizations (June) Develop legal placements (July-August) Launch program at start of school-year (September) Recruit, train and match student volunteers (September) Monitor placements (November & February) Hold events and raise profile of PBSC (Year-Round) Hire and transition successors (March)

Pro Bono Students Canada ORGANIZATION LOGO HERE Role of National Office: Train Program Coordinators Monitor Program Coordinators Provide resource materials and other support Help chapters develop local and regional partnerships Create our own national programs and partnerships Monitor and evaluate our program annually Maintain quality-control Provide overall strategic vision for program

Pro Bono Students Canada ORGANIZATION LOGO HERE Quality-Control Through Standardized Policies and Procedures: Mandatory attendance at training conference Approval of all placements by National Office Signed Agreements from all volunteers, partners and lawyers Workplans and timelines for all placements In-person monitoring of all volunteers, partners and lawyers Standardized data collection and reporting Monthly telephone meetings with National Office staff Local oversight and guidance

Pro Bono Students Canada Advantages of Student Leadership Model: Affordability Passion Relatable Local knowledge Leadership Disadvantages of Student Leadership Model: Turnover Training Accountability Professionalism Capacity

Pro Bono Students Canada ORGANIZATION LOGO HERE Local Oversight Through On-Site Supervisor: Either a faculty member or staff person at the law school Selected by the law school, not PBSC Responsible for monitoring and overseeing students’ work Reviewing legal placements Meeting with Program Coordinators Helping Program Coordinators Hire Successors

Pro Bono Students Canada ORGANIZATION LOGO HERE PBSC Assists Law Schools in Meeting a Number of Goals: Pedagogy Career development Community Outreach & Service Alumni Development Law School Collaboration

Pro Bono Students Canada ORGANIZATION LOGO HERE Programming Requirements Must respond to a legal or policy need in the community Must be legal in nature Must be supervised by an insured lawyer Must allow for 5 hour per week commitment Students cannot provide legal advice

Pro Bono Students Canada ORGANIZATION LOGO HERE PBSC Placements Projects that interest students from all backgrounds Any area of law Serve all diverse and vulnerable populations Partners from a wide array of legal settings Wide range of practical experiences and project deliverables

Students contact organizations Work with org to develop placement Organization fills out formal project description Organization attends information Session Organization signs agreement form Recruit lawyer supervisor Lawyers sign agreement forms Post placements on website Hold launch events Hold student information sessions Sign up student volunteers Match students to projects Contact students to advise of placement Hold volunteer training sessions Volunteers connect with supervisors Volunteers and lawyers meet to create work plan & timeline Placements take place (monitoring) Work product submitted to lawyer for approval Revisions if necessary Final product submitted to organizations Pro Bono Students Canada

ORGANIZATION LOGO HERE 10 Current Projects: 1.Immigration and Refugee Detention Centre Project 2.Family Law Project 3.HIV/AIDS Wills Clinic 4.Health Law Advocacy Project 5.Tax Court of Canada Advocacy Project 6.Not-for-Profit Corporate Law Project 7.Stella Project (Sex-Workers Rights) 8.Canadian Civil Liberties Association Rights Watch Blog 9.Equality Rights Central Website Project 10.Small Claims Court Project

Pro Bono Students Canada ORGANIZATION LOGO HERE National, Private and Public Sector Funders: University of Toronto Funds our Family Law Program PBSC’s Main Funder PBSC’s National Law Firm Partner PBSC’s National Legal Research Provider

Pro Bono Students Canada ORGANIZATION LOGO HERE Locally, Public Sector Funders: Each local law school Provincial Law Foundations University Work-Study Programs Federal Government Student Summer Jobs Program Local Student Associations Fundraisers PBSC National Office

Pro Bono Students Canada ORGANIZATION LOGO HERE “Lawyers are in a position to provide a fundamental service that most people will be in need of at some point in their lives. There is a growing need for social justice, and the PBSC program instilled this notion in not only me, but the entire student body.” Sonal Kulkarni, student,University of Windsor Law School “Our family court—the biggest and busiest family court in the country—would not be able to function half as well without the assistance of the PBSC students.” Justice Harvey Brownstone, North Toronto Family Court “The existence of PBSC has helped to rekindle a sense of obligation in students and lawyers alike. The graduates of PBSC enter the profession as agents for change, with a new level of expectation regarding the role of public service in a legal career. PBSC has raised the profile of pro bono service in the community through a tremendous infusion of support to community groups. This innovative, exciting organization has permanently changed the landscape of the profession…” Mr. Justice Robert Armstrong, Ontario Court of Appeal, Toronto, Ontario