Transcript Diapositiva 1 - Red Pro Bono Internacional

Santiago, Chile
April - 2011
ROTATING PRESENTATION
OF PRO BONO INITIATIVES
ORGANIZATION
LOGO HERE
Pro Bono Students Canada
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, qualityassurance 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
ORGANIZATION
LOGO HERE
Pro Bono Students Canada
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
ORGANIZATION
LOGO HERE
Pro Bono Students Canada
“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
ORGANIZATION
LOGO HERE
Pro Bono Students Canada
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
ORGANIZATION
LOGO HERE
Pro Bono Students Canada
Governance
ORGANIZATION
LOGO HERE
Pro Bono Students Canada
.
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
ORGANIZATION
LOGO HERE
Pro Bono Students Canada
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)
ORGANIZATION
LOGO HERE
Pro Bono Students Canada
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
ORGANIZATION
LOGO HERE
Pro Bono Students Canada
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:
Disadvantages of Student
Leadership Model:
• Affordability
• Turnover
• Passion
• Training
• Relatable
• Accountability
• Local knowledge
• Professionalism
• Leadership
• Capacity
ORGANIZATION
LOGO HERE
Pro Bono Students Canada
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
ORGANIZATION
LOGO HERE
Pro Bono Students Canada
PBSC Assists Law Schools in Meeting a Number of Goals:
• Pedagogy
• Career development
• Community Outreach & Service
• Alumni Development
• Law School Collaboration
ORGANIZATION
LOGO HERE
Pro Bono Students Canada
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
ORGANIZATION
LOGO HERE
Pro Bono Students Canada
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
Pro Bono Students Canada
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
Match
students to
projects
Sign up student
volunteers
Hold student
information
sessions
Hold launch
events
Post
placements on
website
Lawyers sign
agreement
forms
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
Final product
submitted to
organizations
Revisions if
necessary
ORGANIZATION
LOGO HERE
Pro Bono Students Canada
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
ORGANIZATION
LOGO HERE
Pro Bono Students Canada
National, Private and Public Sector Funders:
PBSC’s Main Funder
University of Toronto
PBSC’s National Law Firm Partner
Funds our Family Law Program
PBSC’s National Legal Research Provider
ORGANIZATION
LOGO HERE
Pro Bono Students Canada
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
ORGANIZATION
LOGO HERE
Pro Bono Students Canada
“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