Students

As a PBSC student you will gain valuable hands-on practical experience in the workplace through client contact, legal research and writing, or both. Not only do PBSC students receive specialized research training from Thomson Reuters WestlawNext Canada every October, but they also benefit from the mentorship of a lawyer supervisor who oversees their work. Furthermore, a volunteer experience with PBSC is a chance for students to learn from clients, communities and organizations they will be in close contact with. Pursuant to PBSC’s values, students will learn the importance of practicing law with humility, advancing equity in society, and recognizing the dignity of all participants in diverse legal systems within Canada. Finally, it is a fantastic addition to your resume!

Students make a commitment to volunteer for 3-5 hours per week, and to attend two mandatory training sessions: a general PBSC training session and a Thomson Reuteurs WestlawNext Canada training session. The dates of these sessions can be found here.

Each summer the Program Coordinator (PC) for each PBSC Chapter develops new and exciting projects for the upcoming year. There are also long-standing projects that are maintained year to year. These projects are developed by the PC in partnership with organizations that serve communities in need of pro bono legal services. Many of our projects are created in partnership with non-profits and charities. The PC speaks with organizations to determine their needs and how PBSC student volunteers may be able to support their mission. In keeping with PBSC’s values, our projects are needs-based with a focus on impact, therefore, our projects are created in close consultation with partner organizations to ensure the final products or deliverables of the PBSC project are informed by the lived experiences of the community the project aims to serve. Once the project has been created, the PC finds a lawyer or expert in the field to supervise. Student volunteers work closely with their lawyer supervisor(s) throughout their project placement so there are plenty of opportunities for mentorship. Each project specifies how many student volunteers are needed, whether there are any pre-requisite requirements, and other relevant information used to inform the volunteer matching process. In September interested student volunteers submit their applications and the PC matches students to projects based on their interest and experience as closely as possible. For a full list of 2021-2022 projects, visit our Projects page.

• Preparing and presenting public legal education and legal information

• Providing assistance to counsel in legal proceedings or administrative hearings

• Researching legal issues and preparing legal memoranda

• Drafting manuals, policy papers, and submissions

• Preparing cases for pro bono lawyers

• Lobbying and advocating on behalf of organizations or clients

• Conducting initial and subsequent client interviews and intake

PBSC projects often engage multiple areas of law including labour and employment, housing, human rights, poverty, social assistance, health, disability, criminal, family, immigration, and more.

No. PBSC projects are designed to be completed in tandem with your legal education. We ensure the time commitment does not exceed 5 hours per week and PBSC placements do not run during December and April (during exam periods). Your PBSC commitment should never get in the way of studying for exams or your overall academic success. The Program Coordinator is always available to help students troubleshoot situations and student volunteers are encouraged to communicate openly with the Program Coordinator and their lawyer supervisor about any difficulties they are experiencing with their PBSC placement. 

Mid-August: A list of PBSC project placement opportunities goes live

Late August: PBSC participates in orientation events to provide information to incoming 1L students

Early September: We hold an official Launch Event and additional information sessions to educate interested students on PBSC projects and the application process

Mid-September: student volunteer applications are due and offers for student volunteer positions are made

Late September: student volunteers that have accepted project placement positions attend one mandatory General PBSC Training Session (offered on two different dates)

Early October: students connect with their lawyer supervisors, submit a work plan (if required by the project), and begin work at their placement

Mid-October: student volunteers attend one WestlawNext Training Session

December: student volunteers complete a mid-year evaluation and take a break for exams

January: placements resume

March: complete project and final deliverables by the end of March, complete a year-end evaluation, and attend our final volunteer appreciation event where the Chief Justice Richard Wagner Award is presented

All 2021-2022 PBSC projects were created virtually and only a select few projects involve in-person activities. All PBSC placement will be subject to local public health guidelines and the policies in place for Lincoln Alexander School of Law in response to COVID-19. If a project has in-person activities, it will be clearly stated in the project description.

The time commitment for most projects is flexible, meaning you can complete your work whenever it fits into your schedule. The flexibility of your placement will depend on whether you have a deadline driven project where you are required to complete certain tasks on a timeline. Some projects require volunteers to appear at pre-determined times, but the majority are workable on a flexible schedule. In terms of the work itself being flexible, some projects invite students to take initiative in developing certain areas of the project, whereas others are pre-defined. If you are placed on a project that involves collaborative group work with other student volunteers, you may have flexibility in the areas of the project you are dedicated to.

In 2021-2022 we will place approximately 50 students from the Lincoln Alexander School of Law on PBSC projects.

All of the work completed by student volunteers must be reviewed by a supervising lawyer before it can be delivered to the Partner Organization. Generally, students meet bi-weekly with their supervisor, but some choose to meet more or less frequently. Lawyer Supervisors dedicate 5-10 hours per month to their PBSC volunteers and are available to answer questions as needed.

Students are never permitted to give legal advice. If you are selected for a PBSC placement, you will receive deeper training on the difference between legal information and legal advice. Students must be responsible and diligent, especially in client-facing situations, to ensure they are not crossing the line from legal information to advice. Student volunteers receive a great deal of support, from their supervisor and the Program Coordinator, and are encouraged to bring any concerns they have to either one of them in the event that they are unsure about what they can offer.

Some projects are limited to upper-year students, but the majority are open for 1L students. 1L students are given an equal opportunity to engage with PBSC and are strongly encouraged to apply.

No. At this time, PBSC placements will not fulfill your professional placement requirement to complete the Integrated Practice Curriculum at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law. It is possible that you may build a strong relationship with an organization or lawyer through your PBSC placement that could lead to developing a placement for yourself in the future.

Yes, all trainings will occur online. This includes the mandatory PBSC General Training, WestlawNext research training, anti-oppression training, and any additional cultural competency trainings required that are project specific.

No, PBSC student volunteers, 1L Representatives, Events Coordinators, and Communications and Marketing Coordinators donate their time. In keeping with PBSC’s mission to provide free legal support to people and communities facing barriers to justice, student volunteers and Lawyer Supervisors on PBSC projects volunteer their time to the initiative.

Even if you do not think you meet every piece of criteria listed for a project, we encourage you to apply to the projects you are most interested in unless there is a strict requirement you do not meet. It should be clear in the project description whether something is a requirement or a listed asset. For example, if a project says it is only open to upper-year students, you should not apply if you are a 1L student. Alternatively, if the project description says something like “having taken administrative law previously would be helpful” you may still apply for that project even if you haven’t completed Administrative Law.

Think about the areas of law you are interested in and the communities you would like to serve. This is a great starting point for choosing projects that appeal to you. Once you are browsing the list, consider the number of students being placed on the project and whether t is joint with other Chapters. If you prefer to work collaboratively with others, you may want to choose projects that have multiple positions available and highlight a team approach in the description. If you want to work with folks at other law schools, you may want to focus on joint projects with Osgoode and UofT or PBSC National projects.

You’ll also want to pay close attention to the time commitment for each project. Although many are flexible, some have more specific requirements, and have mandatory cultural competency trainings. Finally, make sure you meet any special requirements listed for student volunteers on a given project. It should be clear whether things are truly required or if they are assets.

We encourage you to apply as early as possible, but no students will be placed until after the application deadline. PBSC volunteers are not selected on a first-come-first-serve basis. Our top priority is ensuring our partners have student volunteers that meet their needs, therefore, we will match based on that, not who submitted first. That said, we do review applications as they come in, so please submit as early as possible to help us smooth out the matching process.

We cannot guarantee any placements, but we will do our best to place you on your preferred project wherever possible.

In 2019, in honour of our outstanding student volunteers and the Right Honourable Richard Wagner, PBSC launched the Chief Justice Richard Wagner Awards. The awards recognize one volunteer from each participating law school Chapter who has demonstrated exemplary leadership and commitment to PBSC’s mission of providing free legal support to people and communities facing barriers to justice.

The award was named after The Right Honourable Richard Wagner, P.C., Chief Justice of Canada as he is a strong advocate for access to justice. At the 2018 PBSC Launch Event, the Chief Justice stated: "Ultimately, [access to justice] is about getting good justice for everyone, not exceptional justice for a lucky few. It’s a democratic issue, it’s a human right issue, it’s even an economic issue."

Students, organization supervisors, and lawyer supervisors are all invited to participate in the nomination process in early 2022.

Projects can be broken up into three categories: first, we have the projects that are exclusive to Lincoln Alexander. The next category is the multi-chapter joint project umbrella. These are projects that involve multiple PBSC Chapters. In our case, these projects are generally projects that include students from Lincoln Alexander, Osgoode Hall, and UofT. If you look at the projects on our website, they will have a note under the title of the project if they are joint. If you are browsing the project list you will notice that it sometimes stipulates how many positions are allocated to each school, and other times it is left open ended. This was to give us flexibility in matching students so we can ensure we get the highest number of students placed as possible. If you are placed on a joint project, you may have the opportunity to work with student from other law schools on Toronto.

Finally, there are special projects developed by the PBSC National Office. Usually these projects are with high profile organizations that PBSC has a nationwide relationship with. The National projects tend to address complex and systemic inequalities, and right now, our national program support families in crisis, Indigenous peoples, LGTBQI2S+ communities, and newcomers to Canada. No matter what, the Lincoln Alexander School of Law Program Coordinator will be your go-to person for support, so that will not change if you are placed on joint or National projects.

Student volunteer applications for the 2024-2025 year will open in the second week of September. Please stay tuned for specific dates, which will be announced in September. If you have any additional questions, please contact our Program Coordinator at pbsc.lincolnalexander@gmail.com.

Visit our News & Events page to see a list of important dates and our calendar of events.