Poverty Law

Open to: 1L, 2L

Project Summary

Haven is a drop-in centre where elder homeless, marginally housed and socially isolated men can feel safe, where they can form and cultivate friendships and become part of a community.

Students will gather any legal questions and will spend the following 1-2 weeks researching the question. The lawyer supervisor will approve the accuracy of the information, and then the student will set up a phone call or in-person meeting with the client to deliver legal information only (likely this will occur on a subsequent drop-in session).

In addition, the student can deliver one presentation during the placement, on a legal issue to be chosen with drop-in clients. The student may produce written materials to be distributed to interested individuals who are unable to attend the sessions. Some clients would also like help applying for pardons.

Staff will be present at the drop-in each week, and are available to attend all presentations to help the students effectively deliver their presentations to the audience. The lawyer supervisor will be available to hear a mock presentation and must be present during the actual presentation.

Type: Public Legal Education

Area(s) of Law: Human Rights Law, Clinics/Poverty Law, Criminal Law 

Community served: Homeless & marginally housed, Domestic violence, Racialized communities

Number of Student Volunteer Positions: 1

Commitment: 3-5 hours/week

Special Requirements:

• Students should understand that the drop-in is a low barrier space; as such, clients may not be sober and may be experiencing mental health difficulties or other challenges during the session. Potential students should think carefully about whether they are able to volunteer in an unpredictable and client-facing environment.

• Some requirement to be in-person

• Preference for experience or interest in social justice or human rights field,working with marginalized communities, particularly sex workers and/ or people who use drugs. Experience navigating the criminal justice system and accessing resources like legal aid and court support, experience with family law and child welfare would also be an asset.

Open to: 1L, 2L

Project Summary

DVCLS’ Income Maintenance team provides information, advice, and assistance related to income assistance, including Ontario Works (often still called welfare), Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), Canada Pension Plan (CPP), and more. In recognition of the fact that many of the Income Maintenance team’s clients would benefit from the support of social workers or other community resources, DVCLS has recently sent out a survey to assess what resources are available in community agencies. At this stage, DVCLS seeks a student to explore how DVCLS’ legal workers can get access to social work assistance as required for their clients.

Component 1: Research 

The student will look into how legal aid agencies in other jurisdictions (e.g. Australia) have collaborated with social workers and community organizations, with the goal of providing concrete recommendations that can inform DVCLS’ next steps. Students will research what went well and/or badly in other jurisdictions that have implemented similar programs. The student will also investigate related issues, such as confidentiality concerns (i.e. when sharing a client’s personal info with external groups). Finally, students will map out a process/formal agreement for partnerships between DVCLS and social workers; this may require some research into contract law.

Component 2: Client Services

The student will sit in on meetings with clients and possibly shadow particular files from start to finish to gain an understanding of how cases evolve. The student will sit in on client interviews, Social Benefits Tribunal (SBT) hearings, etc. They will take note of any issues (including medical concerns such as physical and mental health) which would be relevant to a social worker.

Type: Client Intake & Assistance, Research

Area(s) of Law: Disability Law, Social Benefits, Administrative Law. 

Community served: Newcomers, precariously housed, low income, disabled communities

Number of Student Volunteer Positions: 1

Special Requirements: This is a virtual project. Some knowledge of ODSP/OW is helpful. The schedule is flexible. Client meetings may happen on an ad-hoc/sporadic basis.

Open to: 1L, 2L, 3L

Project Summary

An affidavit is a written document that contains facts that someone swears under oath or affirms are true (source). DVCLS helps clients prepare affidavits and other documents for government, financial, or legal purposes. These include income verification affidavits, daycare subsidy affidavits, notarial true copies, and more.

In this project, students will help the clinic staff worker deal with the clients who have appointments for affidavits or notarial true copies:

• Students will ensure clients have brought an ID document.

• Students will shadow the client-lawyer meetings, which include an interview.

• Eventually, students will be able to take a more active role under lawyer supervision. Students may be able to conduct the interview independently and draft the affidavit using a template which is then reviewed by a DVCLS lawyer.

Type: Client Intake & Assistance

Area(s) of Law: Housing, Social Benefits, Administrative.

Community served: Low income individuals, precariously housed, racialized communities

Number of Student Volunteer Positions: 1

Commitment: 3-5 hours/week

Special Requirements: Students will be in person for a regular shift each week (Thursday from 1:30-4:30 PM) at DVCLS’s office in Leaside Park. If a student cannot make their scheduled shift, they must inform the lawyer supervisor.

Open to: 1L, 2L

Project Summary

The All Saints’ Drop-in is a safe, non-judgemental place where people can have coffee, rest, use washroom facilities, see a nurse or social worker, eat a hot meal, and access telephone, wifi, and computer services. 

Students will gather any legal questions and will spend the following 1-2 weeks researching the question (e.g. working on the streets, how the law differentiates sex work and trafficking, navigating criminal justice system, etc.). The lawyer supervisor will approve the accuracy of the information, and then the student will set up a phone call or in-person meeting with the client to deliver legal information only (likely this will occur on a subsequent drop-in session).

In addition, the student can deliver one presentation during the placement, on a legal issue to be chosen with drop-in clients. The student may produce written materials to be distributed to interested individuals who are unable to attend the sessions. Some clients would also like help applying for pardons.

Staff will be present at the drop-in each week, and are available to attend all presentations to help the students effectively deliver their presentations to the audience. The lawyer supervisor will be available to hear a mock presentation and must be present during the actual presentation.

Type: Public Legal Education

Area(s) of Law: Human Right Law, Clinics/Poverty Law, Criminal Law 

Community served: Homeless & marginally housed, Domestic violence, Racialized communities

Number of Student Volunteer Positions: 1

Commitment: 3-5 hours/week

Special Requirements:

• Students should understand that the drop-in is a low barrier space; as such, clients may not be sober and may be experiencing mental health difficulties or other challenges during the session. Potential students should think carefully about whether they are able to volunteer in an unpredictable and client-facing environment.

• Some requirement to be in-person

• Preference for experience or interest in social justice or human rights field,working with marginalized communities, particularly sex workers and/ or people who use drugs. Experience navigating the criminal justice system and accessing resources like legal aid and court support, experience with family law and child welfare would also be an asset.

Open to: 2L

Project Summary

Students will work remotely with an assigned Lawyer Supervisor to assist them with their caseload. Tasks include legal research, litigation document preparation, preparing clients for hearings, client follow up and evidence gathering. Students will also have opportunities to engage with the clinic’s community development work and public legal education activities.

Type: Client Services

Area(s) of Law: Poverty Law including: Housing, Human Rights, Social Assistance

Community served: People living in poverty, precariously employed individuals, homeless & marginally housed 

Number of Student Volunteer Positions: 2 

Commitment: 4-5 hours/week

Special Requirements for Student Volunteers: Interest in Clinic Work, social justice and human rights

Open to: 1L, 2L, 3L

Project Summary

CSALC serves primarily non-English speaking clients. As such, they have developed videos to walk clients through complex legal processes such as Employment Income and Immigration matters. CSALC is looking for students to develop a script and complete a voiceover to guide clients through the processes in the video. The voiceover should be in at least one of the following languages, in addition to English: Mandarin, Cantonese or Vietnamese. These PLE resources will be posted on the CSALC website.  

The script should explain how to navigate systems, what to look out for, and tips to optimize your application. Students will need to conduct research on the processes prior to developing the script to ensure they are not missing key information. There are opportunities to create infographics and additional step-by-step videos should the students complete the work early. 

Type: Public Legal Education

Area(s) of Law: Poverty, Housing, Human Rights

Community served: Racialized communities, low income individuals, Homeless & marginally housed, precariously employed

# of Student Volunteer Positions: 2

Commitment: 3-5 hours/week

Special Requirements for Student Volunteers: 

• This is a virtual project. 

• Spoken bilingualism in Cantonese, Mandarin or Vietnamese is highly preferred. 

• Preference will be given to students who self-identify as Chinese and/or Southeast Asian.

• Interest in immigration and immigrant populations is preferred.