Getting Involved at Allard School of Law: Law Students’ Legal Advice Program

“LSLAP” is one of the many awesome volunteer opportunities for Allard students. The program runs a net of poverty law clinics for clients who would otherwise be unable to afford legal representation or advice.

We are the only volunteer program at Allard Hall where 1Ls can represent clients in real-life legal matters.

We are the largest volunteer program at the Allard School of Law, and we are the second largest provider of free legal services in the Province, behind only Legal Aid. LSLAP also produces an annual LSLAP Manual, a guide for basic legal problem-solving, available online and sold to small practitioners, libraries, and the public.

If you want to learn client management and practical litigation skills right away, check us out!

Wait, Did You Say I Can Represent Clients as a Student?

If you are interested in litigation, you could run your own hearing by the end of the term. LSLAP clinicians have represented clients at Human Rights Tribunals, Residential Tenancy Board hearings, Workers’ Compensation Board hearings, and others.  Additionally, clinicians help clients with immigration issues, writing basic wills, and many other issues.

LSLAP is even given special leave from the Law Society of British Columbia to represent clients in Provincial Courts, and we have run multi-day criminal, and small claims trials. We do not take clients who run the risk of jail time, but have taken small claims matters of up to the full amount possible (until this year, $25,000).

That Sounds Awesome, How does it Work?

First we have a short training period at the beginning of the year, where LSLAP’s supervising lawyers will run aspiring clinicians through the paces. Then students spread out to twice-monthly evening clinics around the Lower Mainland. Under the supervision of a student clinic head or volunteer supervising lawyer, clinicians gather information about our clients’ legal problems.

Then, students do independent research on the issues, before meeting with a dedicated program supervising lawyer. All legal decisions get run through these supervising lawyers before they are taken back to the client.

This system means that new students have an experienced, supervising lawyer as a safety net, checking their work.

In practice, we actually operate a lot like a law firm: we track time, manage files, and report to supervising lawyers much as you will likely do with future principles or managing partners.

Isn’t That, Like… a Lot to Do?

LSLAP can be a lot of work, and it can be a little. Clinicians’ experiences vary greatly. Sometimes a student pulls an exciting criminal matter on their first intake, while another just sees “same-day close” files all year—clients whose problems are outside our mandate.

You have some control over which files you take in at clinic, and you can also transfer a difficult file to a more experienced clinician, but it’s important to understand that no matter what, LSLAP puts real people’s legal problems into your hands. The supervising lawyers approve your work, but they won’t do that work for you.

The plus is that you can get a lot out of the program. If you manage your time, you will get experience that is simply not available to 1Ls anywhere else.

Um, but what about Exams?

LSLAP has a blackout period during 1L exams during which we take no new clients. Wherever possible, we also postpone work on the files we already have open.

Look I’m Busy, Sell it to me in Bullet Points!

Challenges are opportunities. The more you do with LSLAP, the more it can reward you.

Here are things you can only accomplish in 1L by joining LSLAP:

  • Put actual court/tribunal experience on your legal CV
  • Manage actual clients
  • Learn legal case-management software (Clio)
  • Learn legal “issue-spotting” in real-life
  • Cross the bar in court
  • Put criminal law experience on your legal CV
  • Do all of this with the safety net of the program’s lawyers
  • Be part of the second-largest provider of free legal services in BC
  • Qualify for one of our coveted, paid summer positions

These things aren’t unique to LSLAP, but are core features of our program:

  • Participate directly in providing access to justice
  • Work in a collaborative, peer environment
  • Work with knowledgeable lawyers
  • Practice independent legal research skills
  • Develop lasting networks in the legal community
  • Put something distinguishing on your CV
  • Develop time management strategies for future practice