Monthly Archives: June 2015

Incoming 1Ls,

Oh man. Words cannot describe the deep and profound love I hold for this magnificent event. Seriously, trying to convey with mere words the indescribable feelings I have for this handful of days would be like trying to learn the LSAT by pantomime. So I shall merely describe it with the hope of imparting a sliver of its majesty unto you 0Ls.

Law Games takes place at the beginning of every new year. Nearly every law school in the country makes a team. Teams range from under ten people to 20 people for some schools (usually western ones), and 50-70 for others (Western, McGill, UofT). Every team is housed in one hotel. During the day, sports are played (or not, this isn’t Soviet Russia, do whatever you want). If you’re into sports, then you’re in luck because every athletic activity under the sun is available. There is also the occasional talent show.

At night, we have pub crawls, formal dinners and club nights (I know, I hate clubs too, but I make an exception). To further conceptualize, think about Law Games like the Amish view Rumspringa. For a brief stint, you can escape the humdrum melancholy of CANS and exams to partake in an event so wonderful and discordant with the values of society that it would make Dionysus himself blush. But instead of 1-5 years; its five days, and instead of becoming Amish again for the rest of your life, you return to life as a lowly law student (maybe an Amish law student?) until next year.

So, to reiterate, approximately 700 Law Students, who are newly free from exams, get together for a week of sports and the occasional party. I think you can manage the mental bout of connect the dots on your own.

This year, Law Games is being hosted by UQAM. Not ideal, but hey, Montreal for New Years (as a former McGillionaire, I can vouch for how great NYE is there). As no stranger to thrift, I can appreciate that the distance and expenses might be overwhelmingly unappealing at first blush. However, we do a lot of fundraisers and manage to procure sizable donations which bring down the cost substantially. For instance, last year we only needed to cover the cost of flight, food and beverages.

If you’re even remotely interested, I recommend signing up for Law Games on clubs day, or at the very least attending one information session. Look forward to it, and get excited 0Ls!

Very truly yours,

Scott Whitley, 2L

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Hello Class of 2018!

Welcome to the law school community! We are the Program Coordinators for PBSC UBC and are excited to meet you! You must be curious to know what life at law school is going to be like. You probably have already been inundated with a lot of information on various extra-curricular activities, and possibly feel overwhelmed with how you’ll fit everything into your 1L schedule. Well, we’re here to tell you that law school is about building community and doing meaningful work. We both have been involved with PBSC since day one of law school and have loved every minute of it! Just like us, you’ll have the opportunity to gain meaningful legal experience while giving back to the community, and along the way meeting some fantastic people!

From left to right: Rana Hazarat, Wayne Robertson (Executive Director of the Law Foundtaion), Yusra Khan, and Nikki Gershbain (National Director of PBSC) at the PBSC National Training Conference in Toronto

Through PBSC, Rana volunteered with CHIMO Community Services in their “Outreach and Advocacy Program” that provides support to residents, immigrants, and refugees. She had the opportunity to independently conduct client intakes on issues such as employment and family law to name a few. It was a fantastic opportunity to gain practical legal experience and work under an organizational framework whose values align with hers!

Yusra volunteered with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), an organization dedicated to fighting for the civil liberties, human rights, and democratic freedoms of all people across Canada. Her placement involved monitoring civil liberties issues in British Columbia and writing blogs on court decisions and news updates. She had the opportunity to attend the CCLA Rights Watch Conference in Toronto, where she received specialized training and had the opportunity to meet students from other law schools.

One of our placements last year was with the Woodlands Class Action Lawsuit. Nine students assisted class members to make applications under a class action settlement, which the Province agreed to in 2009. This case was covered in the news (link), and if you’re eager to learn more, one of our students Rav Sidhu has provided an in depth testimonial about her experience below!

If you have any questions at all, feel free to email us at pbsc.ubc@gmail.com, call us at (604) 822-8009, or visit our website at www.pbsc.law.ubc.ca. We also have Facebook and Twitter!

Enjoy your summer!

Cheers,

Rana Hazarat (2L) and Yusra Khan (3L)

Testimonial from Rav Sidhu:

PBSC volunteer on the Woodlands Class Action Lawsuit

What year are you in and in what area of law are you interested in?

I am currently starting 3L in the fall and the area of law that is of most interest to me is corporate/business law.

What made you decide on PBSC over other extra-curricular options?

I initially decided to get involved with PBSC for numerous reasons. One of course being the ability to help those in need. We are fortunate individuals who with the capability, education and the platform of law to help those who may not be as fortunate. Secondly, I thought it would provide meaningful legal experience. This has turned out to be very true.

Where was your placement, what was your role, & what would a typical day look like?

My current placement is at Klein Lawyers, a law firm in Vancouver that predominantly handles motor vehicle files and class-action lawsuits. My day-to-day involves reviewing large files, including medical documents and nurses notes, to assess whether a viable claim can be made under the Woodlands Class Action lawsuit. This has helped hone my skills of being efficient in reviewing files while looking out for what is truly important and critical to the file. This placement also involves writing memorandums relating to the assessment, which enabled me to practice my legal writing skills beyond the classroom setting.

Has your experience with your placement taught you something new or substantial that you may not have been exposed to otherwise?

Since my placement was in a law office, I have also had the opportunity to see how a law office works and actually interact with lawyers and staff. This was a distinct feature of the PBSC placement that I do not believe other volunteer/extra-curricular opportunities would provide. Furthermore, as a student, the fact that it is flexible was key in my decision in continuing with PBSC. This placement has been very amenable and sensitive to the student workload balance. The fact that it is a year-long project still however, allows you to envision the end goal and keep yourself motivated to reach it while working on it throughout the year.

Would you recommend PBSC to other students, and if so why?

I would highly recommend PBSC to any student. While any extra-curricular that provides legal experience is great, what I’ve liked about PBSC is that if you do the work, you are going to make a difference in the legal circumstances of an organization or an individual. I would also say that even if the experience does not tie explicitly with your end goals for law (e.g. for me, being a corporate lawyer), you will gain experiences and skills that will help you no matter what trajectory you ultimately decide to go with in your legal career.

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Hello Class of 2018!

Congratulations to all incoming 1Ls on being accepted to Allard Hall! My name is Emma Wilson, and I’m the PR Director for the Law Students’ Legal Advice Program (LSLAP). I hope you will consider volunteering at LSLAP in September. I found that my time spent at LSLAP turned out to be the defining experience of my first year of law. Many of my fellow LSLAPers are sure to say the same.

LSLAP is a great place to volunteer for several different reasons. First of all, it gives you the chance to experience real file work from day one. You’ll be working in a wide variety of practice areas, both criminal and civil. Real files mean real clients, and you’ll learn how to work one-on-one with clients and how to manage your files, both invaluable skills for all lawyers to have. You also get to work directly with the program’s two full-time supervising lawyers and learn from their wealth of experience. If your file goes to trial – an exciting prospect in itself — you will also have the benefit of being mentored by one of LSLAP’s volunteer supervising lawyers right up to and during the date of the trial.

The other great thing about LSLAP is that you are the one with the ultimate control over your workload. You can choose to attend extra clinics or take on transfer files, or simply to work on the files that you receive during your assigned clinic. There is no set number of hours that a student is expected to commit to LSLAP. Rather, this depends on what you can personally handle and what you really want to work on.

As well, LSLAP is a great social environment to be in, especially during your first year. It’s one of the best ways to make connections and get to know your fellow law students, from 1Ls to 3Ls. I know that I appreciated this a lot, especially since the first year of law school can be a very daunting experience.

Volunteering at LSLAP can also lead to a summer job, as we hire back 10-15 students each May to work full-time for us over the summer. This means doing paid legal work full-time for four months, which is an opportunity few first year students have.

The final reason why you should volunteer for LSLAP is that the contributions you will make as an LSLAP student are an invaluable asset to the community. Affordable legal representation is very difficult to come by in BC. As an LSLAP student, you’ll be helping marginalized people by providing legal advice and representation to those who cannot otherwise access or afford it. You’ll also be providing a service to the court by reducing the number of self-representing clients appearing at courts and tribunals.

At LSLAP, you will get to do real legal work, learn from experienced lawyers, get to know your fellow students, and perform invaluable community service. And, you might even get a job out of it. For all these reasons and more, I hope you decide to give LSLAP a try in September!

Regards,

Emma Wilson, Director of Communications

LSLAP

Read more about LSLAP on their website: http://www.lslap.bc.ca/

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