santiago, chile april - 2011. rotating presentation of pro bono initiatives
TRANSCRIPT
Santiago, Chile April - 2011
ROTATING PRESENTATION OF PRO BONO INITIATIVES
Pro Bono Students CanadaORGANIZATIONLOGO 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 CanadaORGANIZATIONLOGO 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 experiences2. expose students to the value of pro bono 3. increase access to justice in Canada
Pro Bono Students CanadaORGANIZATIONLOGO 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 CanadaORGANIZATIONLOGO 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 CanadaORGANIZATIONLOGO HERE
Governance
Pro Bono Students CanadaORGANIZATIONLOGO 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 CanadaORGANIZATIONLOGO 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 CanadaORGANIZATIONLOGO 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 CanadaORGANIZATIONLOGO 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 CanadaORGANIZATIONLOGO 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 CanadaORGANIZATIONLOGO 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 CanadaORGANIZATIONLOGO 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 CanadaORGANIZATIONLOGO 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
Students contact
organizations
Work with org to develop placement
Work with org to develop placement
Organization fills out formal
project description
Organization fills out formal
project description
Organization attends
information Session
Organization attends
information Session
Organization signs
agreement form
Organization signs
agreement form
Recruit lawyer supervisor
Recruit lawyer supervisor
Lawyers sign agreement
forms
Lawyers sign agreement
forms
Post placements on
website
Post placements on
website
Hold launch events
Hold launch events
Hold student information
sessions
Hold student information
sessions
Sign up student volunteers
Sign up student volunteers
Match students to projects
Match students to projects
Contact students to
advise of placement
Contact students to
advise of placement
Hold volunteer training sessions
Hold volunteer training sessions
Volunteers connect with supervisors
Volunteers connect with supervisors
Volunteers and lawyers meet to create work plan & timeline
Volunteers and lawyers meet to create work plan & timeline
Placements take place
(monitoring)
Placements take place
(monitoring)
Work product submitted to
lawyer for approval
Work product submitted to
lawyer for approval
Revisions if necessary
Revisions if necessary
Final product submitted to organizations
Final product submitted to organizations
Pro Bono Students Canada
Pro Bono Students CanadaORGANIZATIONLOGO HERE
10 Current Projects:
1. Immigration and Refugee Detention Centre Project2. Family Law Project3. HIV/AIDS Wills Clinic 4. Health Law Advocacy Project5. Tax Court of Canada Advocacy Project6. Not-for-Profit Corporate Law Project7. Stella Project (Sex-Workers Rights) 8. Canadian Civil Liberties Association Rights Watch Blog9. Equality Rights Central Website Project10.Small Claims Court Project
Pro Bono Students CanadaORGANIZATIONLOGO 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 CanadaORGANIZATIONLOGO 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 CanadaORGANIZATIONLOGO 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