Current Projects 2025-2026

Description: There has been an increase of basic human rights violations in correctional centres & prisons amongst incarcerated individuals. Such violations include, overcrowding cells, no access to clocks, extensive lockdowns, etc. The organization would like students to prepare a handout for those incarcerated detailing what steps to take when a violation has occurred and what recourse is available.
Organization: John Howard Society of Simcoe & Muskoka (https://johnhoward.on.ca/muskoka/)
Type of Project: Public Legal Education
Area(s) of Law: Criminal, Human rights
Number of Students: 2
Prerequisites/Assets: Criminal or human rights law is an asset
Eligible to Apply: 1L, 2L, 3L

Description: LISA provides free and confidential legal information on the topics of “sexual assault law”, which includes but is not limited to university processes (admin/regulatory law), police reporting and criminal law, civil law, employment law, human rights law, and class action law. A single, large written resource providing public legal education (PLE) surrounding these issues was created in 2021. The main project for the PBSC volunteer will be to update the existing PLE master resource and create number of issue-specific pamphlets (or other printable format) for distribution to clients and other community partners, such as local sexual assault centres.
Organization: Legal Information for Sexual Assault (LISA) (https://law.uwo.ca/legal_clinics/legal_information_for_sexual_assault/index.html)
Type of Project: Public Legal Education
Area(s) of Law: “Sexual Assault Law” as it pertains to admin/regulatory law, criminal law, civil law, employment law, human rights law
Number of Students: 1
Prerequisites/Assets: Demonstrated or declared interest in issues related to sexual and gender-based violence.
Eligible to Apply: 1L, 2L, 3L

Description: Legal Line provides access to Canadian laws in plain language. Legal Line has covered over 48 areas of law including business law, injury law, cyber law, child custody, and immigration law. Students will assist Legal Line by helping edit and produce content for the website.
Organization: Legal Line (legalline.ca)
Type of Project: Public Legal Education
Area(s) of Law: This project addresses a variety of areas of law based on the questions that are asked to Legal Line.
Number of Students: 2
Prerequisites/Assets: Strong writing and legal interpretation skills.
Eligible to Apply: 2L, 3L

Description: Information for low-income Seniors regarding the processes and their rights under the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) is limited. This population is often faced with housing challenging and questions navigating appeal processes, evictions, renting arrears, and rent increases. Thus, purpose of this project is to draft a manual that informs clients about their rights as tenants, processes under the LTB, and organizations in London that can assist with housing issues. This resource will then be posted on the LIFE*SPIN website where it will be accessible to clients and folks who would benefit from this information.
Organization: LIFE*SPIN (www.lifespin.org)
Type of Project: Public Legal Education
Area(s) of Law: Housing Law
Number of Students: 2
Prerequisites/Assets: None.
Eligible to Apply: 1L, 2L, 3L

Description: Project Consent is a public legal education program that is focused on providing objective legal information to high school students (as well as potentially elementary school students) about consent, sexual assault, and their legal options if they are a victim of these types of crimes. Project Consent was developed by Western Law students in 2019 to help youth understand consent and the legal aspects of consent. Presentation content has received approval from the participating school boards. Participating schools will be notified when the presentations are happening to prepare for potential disclosures, and guidance counsellors and/or social workers are available as needed. Student volunteers are also provided with access to resources and support for mental wellness
Organization: London District Catholic School Board (www.ldcsb.ca)
Type of Project: Public Legal Education
Area(s) of Law: Criminal
Number of Students: 3-4
Prerequisites/Assets: None
Eligible to Apply: 1L, 2L, 3L

Description: As a council of autonomous community-based agencies which serve immigrant communities of Ontario, OCASI asserts the rights of all persons to participate fully and equitably in the social, cultural, political and economic life of Ontario. Settlement.org is an online resource facilitated by OCASI that provides newcomers with an electronic community to find information, read relevant news, ask questions, share their experiences with others, and access a database of community organizations. The Settlement.org moderated discussion forum works to answer questions with well-researched legal information. Here we provide information and referral to services in response to questions about immigration, health, housing, and other aspects of the settlement process. Students will help answer questions from the discussion forum by providing detailed legal information in plain language and making competent referrals to lawyers and services.
Organization: Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) (www.ocasi.org)
Type of Project: Public Legal Education
Area(s) of Law: Immigration & Refugee, Housing (Landlord & Tenant), and Employment & Labour
Number of Students: 1-2
Prerequisites/Assets: Immigration coursework would be considered an asset. Understanding of submitting final research in plain language is helpful, however OCASI can assist in early weeks if necessary.
Eligible to Apply: 1L, 2L, 3L

Description: This project will have students research topics related to planning for future for those with Parkinsons Disease. Such topics will include, advance care planning, POA, etc. The research will be used to create a plain language resource (comprehensive document) for use by clients and/or employees of the organization.
Organization: Parkinson Society Southwestern Ontario (PSSO) (www.psso.ca)
Type of Project: Public Legal Education
Area(s) of Law: Healthcare Law and Disability Law
Number of Students: 4-5 students
Prerequisites/Assets: None
Eligible to Apply: 1L, 2L, 3L

Description: PHSS is an organization focused on supporting individuals with disabilities and complex medical needs and their families. This project will serve as a public legal education project on issues around wills, trusts, estate, substitute decision makers and support workers to support the families of those living with disabilities.
Organization: PHSS – Medical & Complex Care in Community (https://www.phsscommunity.com)
Type of Project: Public Legal Education
Area(s) of Law: Trusts, Estates, Disability Law
Number of Students: 3
Prerequisites/Assets: Personal interest in/connection to individuals with disabilities is an asset.
Eligible to Apply: 2L, 3L

Description: One of the many communities that SLNRC serves are newcomers, and many newcomers are unaware about legal issues as they pertain to their rights. This project with delve into these legal issues to provide newcomers with a plain language resource that explores and answers these legal problems.
Organization: South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre (SLNRC) (www.slnrc.org)
Type of Project: Public Legal Education
Area(s) of Law: Immigration Law
Number of Students: 2
Prerequisites/Assets: Students who are passionate about Human Rights and project that serve low-income communities are preferred.
Eligible to Apply: 1L, 2L, 3L

Description: In partnership with the Department of Anthropology, the students will create an accessible booklet using the research from the previous project. This booklet will give further explanations of the social media posts that were created using plain language on the legal rights of those who identify as disabled. In particular, this project will focus on disability and accessibility and at disability law at a glance.
Organization: Western Anthropology Outreach (https://anthropology.uwo.ca/about_us/Outreach.html)
Type of Project: Public Legal Education
Area(s) of Law: Human Rights, Constitutional Law, Disability Law, Employment Law
Number of Students: 2-3
Prerequisites/Assets: Given the nature of the target audience, we welcome applications from those who identify as disabled and/or students who are passionate about reducing injustices for those who are disabled. We also welcome any French-speaking students to help extend our ability to disseminate these resources.
Eligible to Apply: Upper Year students preferred

Description: The John Howard Society of London and District employs many individuals with social services backgrounds; however, many of these new staff do not have a working knowledge of the criminal justice system. The agency is hoping to create a guide for new staff to provide them with a working knowledge of the criminal justice system to be better able to support their clients who are involved.
Organization: John Howard Society of London and District (www.jhslondon.com)
Type of Project: Public Legal Education
Area(s) of Law: Criminal law and criminal procedure
Number of Students: 2
Prerequisites/Assets: Criminal law and criminal procedure preferred.
Eligible to Apply: 2L, 3L

Description: The development of 2 detailed plain language resources on legal education – brochures and/or fact sheets for distribution to prisoners in federal institutions. The resource will address human rights infringement/violations and class action lawsuits within federal institutions. It is expected that the following will be addressed with these resources:

1. Human Rights Infringement/Violations

o          What it is and what it means within an institutional context, process of filing a claim and what needs to be included - documentation of incidents, institutional reporting, timelines, etc. 

o          Key considerations and best practices to be considered within the correctional system, etc.

o          Eg. Process of filing claims while in prison vs. how to best build a case while currently in prison (facing ongoing infringements/violations, while also being heavily surveilled) in order to pursue claims once released.

2. Class Action Lawsuits

o          What it is and how prisoners can join a class action.

Organization: Prisoners with HIV/AIDS Support Action Network (PASAN) (www.pasan.org)

Type of Project: Public Legal Education
Area(s) of Law: Criminal law, prison law, and class action law
Number of Students: 2-3
Prerequisites/Assets: None
Eligible to Apply: 1L, 2L, 3L

Description: Students will prepare podcasts on a set schedule to discuss important legal issues or interesting and unique/obscure legal topics that stimulate interest and provide information. The podcast will inform the public by providing various perspectives on a topical legal issue in an accessible way but will not look to provide legal opinions or advice on any subjects. Each episode has to be structured with proper scripts, use simple language, and should be designed to catch the audience’s attention. Each episode must be either 30 minutes or 60 minutes in length.
Organization: Radio Western (www.radiowestern.ca)
Type of Project: Public Legal Education
Area(s) of Law: No specific area of law. Students will pick an area of law they are passionate about and/or relevant legal issues.
Number of Students: 5-6
Prerequisites/Assets: Confident public speaking skills.
Eligible to Apply: 1L, 2L, 3L

Description: The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is a national, nonpartisan, non governmental organization that promotes and protects rights and freedoms for all of us in Canada. CCLA has developed a unique model of advocacy that supports five core activities: monitoring, litigation, research, public education and civil engagement. Currently CCLA’s work is focused on the following thematic areas: Fundamental Freedoms, Criminal Justice, Equality and Privacy. Pro Bono students will conduct legal research in support of CCLA’s litigation, advocacy and public engagement work to protect and promote fundamental rights. Students should rank their preferences (1-4) of program areas.

Program Areas:
1. Criminal Justice Stream – example of projects includes Conditions in prison, and Right to Reasonable bail
2. Privacy Stream – example of projects includes State Surveillance at Protests, and Facial Recognition Technology & Automated Assessment at the Border
3. Fundamental Freedoms Stream – example of projects includes Outlining a Distinctive Concept of Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, and Climate Justice and Charter Rights
4. Equality Stream – example of projects includes Gender-Affirming Care in Prisons, and Forced Treatment of People with Addictions.
Organization: Canadian Civil Liberties Association (www.ccla.org)
Type of Project: Research
Area(s) of Law: Constitutional, public, administrative, criminal, human rights
Number of Students: 1
Prerequisites/Assets: The completion of a course on Constitutional law and an expressed interest in CCLA and/or civil liberties/human rights work.
Eligible to Apply: 2L, 3L

Description: Students will perform research for the organization on the current state of disability law as it pertains to an individual’s right to access public and private conference spaces and the liability of the individual/organization hosting that space. This area of law is unclear and the research will aid the organization in properly recognizing and upholding the rights of those with disabilities in this context, which is the population the organization serves. The students will present and organize their research in the form of an internal research memo and an environmental scan for the organization.
Organization: Community Living London (www.cll.on.ca)
Type of Project: Research
Area(s) of Law: Disability
Number of Students: 2
Prerequisites/Assets: Students should be savvy in conducting legal research.
Eligible to Apply: 1L, 2L, 3L

Description: S.H.I.F.T has noticed that there has been an increase in community members that do not know their legal rights in the context of criminal law. This project will serve as an internal resource for S.H.I.F.T to use to help navigate the Criminal Justice System in Canada to help support individuals who come to them for help.
Organization: S.H.I.F.T (Support and Hope for Individuals and Families Today) (www.shiftforgood.ca)
Type of Project: Research
Area(s) of Law: Criminal law
Number of Students: 2
Prerequisites/Assets: Students should be passionate about increasing accessing to justice for marginalized communities. They should be aware of the complex intersectionality of the community members served and the importance of the resource and what it is being created for.
Eligible to Apply: 2L, 3L

Description: Elgin Oxford Legal Clinic works with individuals living on a low income in Elgin and Oxford County as well as Oneida of the Thames, Chippewa of the Thames and Munsee-Delaware First Nations. The student volunteers will be assisting EOLC with their client intake. The files that students will primarily be working on will pertain to Ontario Works appeals, Ontario Disability Support Program appeals, and Canadian Pension Plan disability appeals.
Organization: Elgin Oxford Legal Clinic (www.eolc.ca)
Type of Project: Client Assistance
Area(s) of Law: Various
Number of Students: 2-3
Prerequisites/Assets: None.
Eligible to Apply: 1L, 2L, 3L

Description: Students will assist the Huron Perth Legal Clinic in conducting legal research on their active cases for residents of Huron and Perth Counties with low income. Some of the topics will include human rights, housing law, and consumer protection law. There may be an opportunity for drafting pleadings or other materials.
Organization: Huron Perth Community Legal Clinic (www.huronperthlegalclinic.ca)
Type of Project: Client Assistance
Area(s) of Law: Ontario Works and Disability Appeals, Housing Law, and Consumer Protection Law
Number of Students: 1
Prerequisites/Assets: Students must attend the clinic in-person once a week.
Eligible to Apply: 1L, 2L, 3L

Description: The students under the supervision of a lawyer will provide legal information to individuals experiencing homelessness via our day drop in. The organization has a number of flex offices and procedure rooms situated around our day program. These flex offices/ procedure rooms are utilized for community partners to come in and provide services. The students will do this two times during the school year, once per semester. The topics to be covered are camping rights and notices of evictions. When not on site, students will be researching said topics and creating informational material for individuals in need of services.
Organization: London Cares (www.londoncares.ca)
Type of Project: Client Assistance
Area(s) of Law: Housing Law
Number of Students: 2-4
Prerequisites/Assets: None.
Eligible to Apply: 1L, 2L, 3L

Description: Often many low-income seniors do not have a Will or Power of Attorney and are unsure of how to obtain these resources. This project will serve as a Wills preparation assistance for low-income seniors at London Middlesex Community Housing’s senior sites, all based in the City of London. The students will attend in-person client meetings with low-income senior tenants at the senior sites. At each senior site serviced, the students and lawyer supervisors will complete an initial client consultation which provides information about the services and its eligibility to community members at LMCH. Once eligibility has been assessed, the students, under the supervision of a lawyer, will meet with the eligible tenants one-on-one to draft their Will and POA (typically 6-8 eligible individuals at each site). The final draft will be presented to the client for their review and execution. The Student Volunteer explains the documents and ensures they reflect the Client's testamentary wishes.
Organization: London Middlesex Community Housing (www.lmch.ca)
Type of Project: Client Assistance
Area(s) of Law: Wills and Estates
Number of Students: 3-4
Prerequisites/Assets: A preference will be given to upper year students who has taken a Wills and Estates course and to students who have a social services background who are familiar with the community being served, the complexities of the tenants and the social issues that are involved.
Eligible to Apply: 2L, 3L

Description: Students will assist the N’Amerind Friendship Centre’s Gladue Writer with the research component of the Gladue reports for Indigenous clients facing legal issues. A Gladue report is a pre-sentencing and bail hearing report specifically used when considering sentencing an Indigenous person. They are created after meeting with the client, which if permitted, the students will be able to attend with the Gladue writer. Students will also attend Gladue Court and IPC case mgt and bail court to observe and assist under the supervision of the Gladue writer and or the N’Amerind court workers. Students may have the opportunity to write short submissions for bail court and/or assist with the drafting of Gladue Reports under the supervision of the G. Writer. Students may attend sentencings involving Gladue clients and take notes.
Organization: N’Amerind Friendship Centre (www.namerind.on.ca)
Type of Project: Client Assistance
Area(s) of Law: Human Rights, Criminal, and Indigenous Law
Number of Students: 2
Prerequisites/Assets: Not a prerequisite but courses such as Indigenous law, Human Rights law and Criminal law are an asset. Undergrad in North American history and/or Women’s studies would also be beneficial. Must be passionate about Indigenous experiences. It is preferred that the students are Indigenous, but this is not a requirement. Base-level knowledge of Gladue reporting is an asset. Students are expected to be able to meet with the organization and clients face-to-face.
Eligible to Apply: 1L, 2L, 3L

Description: Students will assist lawyers at NLSLM, draft research memos, conduct client intake over the phone, and assist with legal files depending on the clinic’s needs. The students will be assisting with issues regarding Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program, Canada Pension Plan, Landlord Tenant law, and employment law. Students will also assist in hearing preparation under the direct supervision of the supervising lawyer, as well as potentially accompany lawyers and clients to hearing. Note: students are not permitted to offer legal advice. Any questions outsideof the advice relayed by the supervising lawyer must be directed to the supervising lawyer for follow-up.
Organization: Neighbourhood Legal Services London & Middlesex (www.nlslm.com)
Type of Project: Client Assistance
Area(s) of Law: Administrative law, social assistance, housing law, employment and labour law.
Number of Students: 2
Prerequisites/Assets: 3L student is preferred due to the work volume and difficulty. Strong research skills. Experience working in front-line and/or a clinical setting is an asset.
Eligible to Apply: 2L, 3L