Information for Lawyers
How you can become Involved
Lawyers can be involved with PBSC in two ways:
- If you are working on a case pro bono, our students can support you in your work by doing legal research and writing. We will match you with a dedicated student who matches your skill and interest requirements.
Please contact the PBSC Program Coordinators at pbsc@uwo.ca to find out more about the ways a student volunteer can help you. - Lawyers can volunteer to act as a mentor to a student or group of students doing a pro bono placement.
What are the Goals of PBSC?
For lawyers: to provide underrepresented and disadvantaged communities with pro bono legal service and to give public interest organizations and agencies access to highly skilled and committed volunteers.
For law students: to encourage students to volunteer in their communities and install a pro bono ethic among law students. To give law students practical experience and assistant them in assessing viable career options in public interest law.
What Kind of Projects can Students Undertake?
- Client intake and interviewing
- Contribute to advocacy work
- Draft manuals for internal use at your organization
- Perform public legal education, including presenting workshops and writing brochures
- Produce policy or background memorandums
- Provide legal information for clients
- Support for lawyers working pro bono on a particular case
- Research legal issues relevant to your organization’s work
- Update materials, including conducting by-law research
Why does PBSC need you?
We are seeking practicing lawyers to participate in our program to help law student volunteers who are engaged in pro bono work for public interest organizations.
Each PBSC project or placement requires the supervision and guidance of a lawyer.
Many of the smaller community organizations have no access to a mentor and thus PBSC will help assist the organization to seek a mentor for the project.
Lawyer mentors support student volunteers in developing a research plan at the outset of the project and provide guidance to students as needed over the duration of the placement. The mentor is also responsible for reviewing the work of the student volunteer prior to submission to the organization to ensure completeness and accuracy and make suggestions for improvement.
The Benefits of Becoming a PBSC Mentor
You CAN make a difference!
Mentoring allows lawyers to contribute their legal skills for the benefit of a wide range of community associations, public interest groups and individuals in the London community.
For a relatively small time commitment, a Mentor’s supervision of a PBSC student can make a significant impact in the lives of underrepresented and disadvantaged persons.
You can contribute to your profession and your community. Mentoring provides an opportunity to demonstrate to students, lawyers and the local community the importance of volunteer work and your firm’s commitment to the pro bono ethic within the legal profession. Do your part to help mold your future colleagues!
Lawyer mentors are an integral part of Pro Bono Students Canada, as without them, the program could not exist. If you are a lawyer in the London area, please consider becoming involved!
What is the Commitment Involved?
Mentors are recruited each summer for placements that run the duration of the academic year. The placements typically begin mid-September and wrap up at the end of March.
The average time required from lawyers who are mentors is between 5 – 10 hours per year.
What are the Important Dates for PBSC?
Please see the Important Dates section for more information.
