Hello Incoming 1Ls!

I’m Jessica and I’m writing you both in my capacity as President of the Legal Education Outreach club at UBC and as an incoming upper year (here to offer you some of the classic, often unsolicited and sometimes useless advice upper years love to dole out to 1Ls).

Firstly, we all have crystal clear memories of the overwhelming feeling of being in a new environment, surrounded by new people, and not knowing what in the world we were actually supposed to be doing or saying. So relax — not only are you still a summer away from starting an intense and rewarding experience, but when September rolls around you will be welcomed by empathetic, disarmingly charming and interesting people (I wouldn’t have agreed to write this blog entry if I couldn’t say this with absolute confidence). Fair warning, they will challenge you but they will also be willing to help you.

Secondly, congratulations!  What you’ve accomplished in getting into what is categorically one of the best law schools in the country is impressive. You’ve surely worked very hard to get here. Know that each of you has taken a unique path to law school. You all have different successes and failures. You wowed Admissions with what you have to offer. Now you can start sharing some of your experiences and begin giving back the moment you get to Allard by joining LEO.

What is LEO?

• LEO is a program organized by law students for secondary students.
• We are run through the Faculty of Law and funded by your Law Students Society, the Faculty Association, and the Law Society of BC.
• We are an independent student initiative established in 2008.

LEO volunteers giving a legal education workshop to secondary students.

 What is our goal?

To help secondary students explore the study of law and encourage those who are interested in pursuing a path to law school. We specifically focus on connecting with students from schools whose student bodies are underrepresented in law schools and in the legal profession.

But why? 

Access to Justice.

There’s an access to justice problem in this country. This is an issue you’re going to have to confront from the moment you walk through the doors at Allard Hall. You may already be one of the many Canadians who has had to face it in your personal life. Even if you aren’t, you certainly care about someone who has. So heads up, it’s an issue of critical importance. You will hear about it at Orientation, the issue will present itself in nearly every course in 1^st year, if you volunteer with LSLAP or PBSC you’ll be out in the community working to facilitate access, and once you are admitted to the Bar you will have a duty to protect the public interest in the administration of justice. (In BC under the Legal Professions Act.)

Canadian law schools have recognized they have a role to play in responding to this problem. Your own school of choice has made concerted efforts to welcome and foster a student body that increasingly reflects the diversity of the communities its graduates will actually be serving. (So make an effort to get to know your peers as soon as you walk through the doors at Orientation. Not only will this help reassure you that you do in fact belong here, but what you have to offer each other is of immeasurable value.) However, there’s still a long way to go in regards to access to legal education. If you join LEO, you will meet secondary students who don’t see law school as an option. This isn’t because of their intellectual abilities but is rather due to a variety of socioeconomic factors. That’s unfair and LEO is looking for volunteers who believe law school is only going to get better if it attracts an increasingly heterogeneous pool of applicants who feel welcome in law schools and as capable of entering and succeeding in the profession.

So how do we work?

We need volunteers. Lots of you. We connect with hundreds of students every year. It’s a numbers game, the more volunteers we have, the more students we can meet.

Now, if I’ve done my job, I’ve made LEO sound incredibly important. It’s something you can’t pass up getting involved in right?

But everything sounds so worthwhile! How will you have time to do it all? (you won’t)

Some good news, LEO is super low-commitment for our volunteers. Just sign up for the email list in first weeks of school if you think you might want to get involved. We host events at the Faculty and in the community. We’ll email you about them, if you can come great, if not you can catch us next time.

Most of our volunteers choose to do one of the classroom visits. This is a little more high commitment – you will donate a lunch hour (where we ply you with delicious pizza) and a few hours one afternoon or morning (an excuse to skip class with some of your new friends and you won’t have to beg or entreat your Prof or classmates to help you get back up to speed after missing class.)

I hope I’ve convinced you that LEO is one of those special win-win-win situations that will present itself in your life.

If you would like more information feel free to email our crack team at: ubcleoexec@gmail.com or visit us at: http://www.leo-ubc.com.

Please give it some thought. I look forward to seeing you at the start of the year!

Jessica Sheehan

President, UBC Law Legal Education Outreach

Trevor (far right) and the guys at the LSS Boat Cruise – Safety first!

Year of Law School: Incoming 2L

Age: 22

Hometown: Qualicum Beach, BC

What did you do before law school?  I went to Vancouver Island University and finished a degree in Economics.

What area of law are you interested in?  Ah yes, the question with the elusive answer!  I suppose I’m interested in business law generally. I find the areas of natural resource development and mergers and acquisitions especially interesting.

A fun fact about yourself: I thought long and hard about this one, and the best I could come up with is that I don’t really like eggs (poached, fried, boiled, etc) unless they are smothered in Hollandaise sauce.

What was your favorite part of Orientation Week?  As corny as it sounds Orientation Week was about so much more than the events or the lectures. My favorite part about Orientation Week, in retrospect, was meeting the group of people that would end up being some of my closest friends (in law school or otherwise). That is not to say that I did not spend the rest of the year at law school meeting more of the incredible people that attend UBC Law, but I met the group of people that I am now closest with on the second or third day of Orientation.

What was the best advice an upper year gave you when you started school? The best advice I received in first year law school was actually from a first year professor. This prof told a group of us in our small group that it was important throughout the course of first year law (and probably law school generally) to find reasons and occasions to celebrate. While first year law was certainly the most rewarding and incredible year of my life, it came with a lot of hard work, its fair share of stresses, and moments of feeling overwhelmed.  Following this professor’s advice, I found that the best way ensure that you don’t get too caught up in the difficulty of 1L, is to celebrate and reward the moments in which you overcome that difficulty.  Did you just hand in a paper that was worrisome when you first started it? Take some time to have a drink with friends. Finish all of your readings for a class early? Go see a movie, or play a board game, or do whatever it is that you enjoy. Maintaining some semblance of a life outside of classes is essential to your health, and will ultimately lead to a fuller, more successful law school experience, and in my first year I found that finding reasons and occasions to celebrate was a great way to balance law school and life.

What was the worst advice an upper year gave you when you started school?  I received mostly great advice from my upper year friends, and found them all to be very encouraging and understanding (a legacy I hope to maintain as I move into upper year). However, I was told that I would have to prioritize my readings because it would be impossible to finish them all. This was certainly untrue (at least for me and most of the people I knew). Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely readings that can be “neglected” if need be for the sake of more important readings (for example, readings for a course that is based entirely on a final paper can often be “neglected” for readings from a course based on a final exam). However, it is entirely possible to finish all of your readings on a nightly/weekly basis, and still have time for the celebrating that I mentioned above.

What was your favorite part of first year?  The first two months of first year were definitely my favorite time. At this point, law school is still such a fresh and exciting experience. The sun still serves as an apparent feature of the Vancouver environment, which cannot be said in the November-April months. You’re still meeting new people, and getting to better know all those people you met in Orientation Week and in your small group. Other than getting used to the reading schedule and a paper or two, the months of September and October are without the significant academic challenges that occur later in the year. Overall, I remember this time in the year to be pretty carefree, sunny, and exciting!

What was the most challenging part of first year?  Without wanting to cause unnecessary stress and worry, it was definitely final exams. The law school does and excellent job at making sure that you are prepared for this time, and are as relaxed as possible, however this is still a time of the year where there is a lot of pressure to succeed, and that comes with some stress. That being said, it’s all worth it for the feeling of walking out of the last final exam, knowing you have completed one of the most challenging years of your education (and perhaps even of your life).

What was your favorite social event of first year?  It should be noted that each and every social event of the year will be touted by its sponsors as the “premier social event” of the year. This is untrue, despite how much you want to believe that the social events are just one prolonged climax where the latest event tops the previous. That being said, I remember the boat cruise as being a really great social event. I also thoroughly enjoyed the end-of-the-year party.

What would you do differently in 1L if you could go back now?  I think overall, I would want to worry less about the intermittent assignments from first year. While it’s definitely important to put time and effort into the assignments, they are not worth stressing too much over. I would want to go back and spend a little bit more time enjoying first year law, and less stressing over the smaller assignments.

What extracurriculars would you recommend to 1Ls?  As Treasurer of Legal Education Outreach (LEO), I feel I am obligated to promote this club over all else!  In all seriousness, I would recommend that you get involved in extracurriculars that you think will further a personal interest of yours, will be a rewarding experience, or will help you escape the routine of law school work. I was involved with LEO because I think it is a tremendously satisfying experience to go into high schools and get grade 12 students inspired about the law, post-secondary education, and law school.  I also joined the law school intramural basketball team, and had a great time meeting some upper year law students, getting exercise, and playing a sport that I love.

What was your favorite class? Favorite professor?  I loved Contracts, and consequently my favorite professor was my Contracts prof., Joel Bakan. It has been suggested to me by friends that my love of contracts and the professor who teaches it borders on weird, but I like to think they’re just jealous.

Any Words of Wisdom to incoming 1Ls?  Enjoy every second of first year law school.  It truly was the most incredible year of my life. Try and strike that balance between doing all the work that is asked of you, and taking time for yourself to be with friends, family, or loved ones. Take time to celebrate your accomplishments, or your new found friendships in whatever way you best like to celebrate. Don’t get too caught up in the stressful side of law school; step outside of that element of the experience to enjoy the other parts of the 1L experience.  Soak it all up, and I promise you that you will finish the year and be able to look back upon it as fondly as I look back upon my first year.

Hello Class of 2016!

Congrats to you all for being accepted to our illustrious school.  1L is not like anything you have really experienced in undergrad and for most (if not all) law students, it is no cake walk. As such, it is quite easy to get bogged down in your studies and forget that things like exercise, sunlight, fresh air, etc. are necessary for your life’s balance. The Illegal Beavers would like to extend you an opportunity to maintain said balance.

The Illegal Beavers RFC is one of the most established clubs in UBC Law. Last year, the Beavers represented the school against other western law schools including U of C, U of A, and UVic (and hope to add TRU to the mix next season). The Beavers were also pitted against the Vancouver Police Department, UBC Med, the Beavers alumni team, and the UBC junior varsity team.

A few Beavers at the Halloween Bash!

The Beavers also get involved with the school off the pitch. Last year, the Beavers hosted several of the most memorable parties of the semester, including the annual Halloween bash (which of course included a costume contest). From a community involvement standpoint, the team spearheaded a school-wide clothing drive for Big Brothers and Big Sisters and made a significant contribution to the law school’s Movember fundraising campaign. In fact, our current vice president raised more money than any individual in all of UBC last year. Playing for the Beavers affords you the opportunity to establish lasting friendships with your peers, invaluable connections with the upper years, and make contacts with several alumni who will be future employers and colleagues. The Beavers RFC has players with a wide level of skill levels and the executive is happy to help develop the skills of new players in our weekly optional practices.

Please feel free to contact us any time at illegalbeaversrugby@gmail.com with any inquires that you might have about our club. Rugby at UBC Law is a great way to meet other law students, take time off from schoolwork, and be part of a long standing school tradition.

Looking forward to seeing some new faces out on the pitch this fall,

Jaime Hoopes (2L)
President of the Illegal Beavers RFC

Hi Class of 2016!

We’re your friendly neighbourhood UBC Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) Coordinators!!  We know some of you might be feeling a little overwhelmed – and excited – as you are getting ready for law school. There is going to be a lot of information to absorb even before classes begin, but we really wanted to take the time to give you some information about a very important aspect of your legal education: giving back to the community.

There are a lot of opportunities to get involved at Allard Hall, and volunteering with Pro Bono Students Canada is one of them! To give you a flavor of PBSC, we’ve answered some commonly asked questions from students about our Program.

PBSC: COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What does ‘pro bono’ mean?

Pro bono or pro bono publico (in Latin: for the public good) is when a lawyer (or law student) provides legal services for free in the public interest.  These services are hugely important to the community as a whole as they help ensure equal access to our justice system and the provision of high quality legal information and services to non-profit public interest organizations and to low and modest income individuals. Through student placements PBSC strives to help students recognize the importance of adopting a pro bono ethic early on in their legal career.

So, what does PBSC do, exactly?

Pro Bono Students Canada is a national, award-winning, student-run organization, with local chapters at every Canadian law school, which aims to provide pro bono legal services to various public interest associations and vulnerable members of our community.

PBSC helps to increase access to justice by matching law students with a wide range of public interest organizations in a wide variety of areas, including immigration, health, environmental, and sports law.  Last year we matched 67 volunteers with 23 organizations, so there is definitely something for everyone!  Student volunteers (you), under the supervision of practicing lawyers, then provide these organizations with a variety of legal services including research, creating public legal education documents, running legal workshops, and doing client intake. The result of this structure is a win-win-win situation: organizations benefit from the valuable work students provide, members of the community get access to high quality legal services they could not otherwise afford, and students gain research skills, networking opportunities, and the opportunity for one on one feedback from a supervising lawyer.

What kinds of students are involved in PBSC?

We welcome applications from all UBC law students. We expect to have an updated list of PBSC project descriptions available in August 2013 as we continue to develop placements through the summer. The deadline to apply for these projects will be in September 2013. More information and exact dates will be communicated as soon as they are available.

While some projects require Upper Year students, we recognize that First Year students have a lot to offer. When reviewing applications, we like to see students who are interested and enthusiastic about the projects. While research and writing experience is always an asset PBSC looks for a variety of specific skills when considering applications to ensure successful placements for both students and organizations!

Where can I find out about experiences of past students?

PBSC-UBC is starting to compile testimonials from past student volunteers on our website. Remember to check back later on in the summer for more information online! We are also more than happy to chat with you in person anytime (our contact info is below!).

Which organizations partner with PBSC?

Some of our partner organizations in the past include: Access Pro Bono, Canada Civil Liberties Association, Ecojustice, John Howard Society, West Coast LEAF, BC SCPA, Prisoner’s Legal Services, and more. The PBSC program is designed to assist organizations and community groups with public interest mandates that have unmet legal needs and we continually seek expand our placements to keep up demand.

What is the time commitment of a PBSC volunteer?

The PBSC volunteer time commitment is very manageable. Students volunteer anywhere from 3-5 hours per week, and no time commitment is required during the exam period.

What is the role of the Program Coordinators?

The Program Coordinators help to manage the day-to-day operations of PBSC-UBC. For example, we help to find placement opportunities for law students by connecting with organizations and supervising lawyers. We also strive to ensure that a PBSC placement is going smoothly for all parties involved by being available throughout the school year and by conducting periodic monitoring surveys. We love hearing from students, so feel free to contact us anytime! And consider applying for the 2014-2015 PBSC coordinator positions!!

Besides PBSC, how else can I get involved?

While we think that PBSC is an excellent opportunity for students to get involved at Allard Hall, there are many other ways to contribute as well and students aren’t limited in participating with only one.

Volunteering opportunities include, but are not limited to, executive positions in student governance, student clubs, editorial positions within law journals and the Law Students Legal Advice Program (LSLAP).

Last year, a very helpful blog post comparing the volunteer experience between the Law Students Legal Advice Program and PBSC, was drafted:

While we continue our work developing exciting projects and placements for you this summer we would love to hear from you and are happy to field any questions you might have! We look forward to meeting you all at our Lunch Launch during Orientation Week!

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.

Sincerely,

Beverly Ma (2L) and Michael Fitzmaurice (3L)