On May 30^th, CLA celebrated the 3^rd annual Rights of Spring event, hosted at Globalive's SHAMBA Foundation. Attended by a diverse crowd of law students, community members and Bay Street lawyers, the event highlighted CLA's Dare to Dream and Student Internship programs and was a great success!

The evening’s keynote speaker, The Honourable Bob Rae, MP for Toronto Centre, addressed the crowd and spoke about Canada's place in the world on conflict resolution and good governance.
 

Join us for this FREE event taking place Thursday, May 30^th from 6-9 pm at Globalive’s incredible SHAMBA Foundation, located at Suite 1200, 48 Yonge Street in downtown Toronto. The 2013 Rights of Spring cocktail party features keynote speaker Bob Rae, MP for Toronto Centre, who will speak about “Where is Canada in the World on Conflict Resolution and Governance?”

Imagine my surprise and excitement on the morning of February 26th when I opened the Report of the Independent Review Conducted by The Honourable Frank Iacobucci into First Nations Representation on Ontario Juries to find that recommendations were made to i) provide comprehensive justice education programs for First Nations individuals; ii) engage Ontario law school students to participate in legal education programs for First Nations representatives; and iii) host a conference whereby First Nations youth would a

In exciting news, we’ve been nominated for Nature’s Bounty’s “Share the Bounty” contest (we’re the only law-related charity!).  The charity with the most votes by Friday March 29^th wins a $20 000 prize!  This money will make a big difference in helping us to mentor and empower Aboriginal students through our Dare to Dream Program, expand our Student Program and increase our student internship opportunities.

WE NEED THE SUPPORT OF THE LEGAL COMMUNITY!  VOTE FOR US DAILY!

It's that time of year again-- CLA-ACE 2013 Student Internship opportunities are posted!  Every year, CLA-ACE partners with amazing organizations both in Canada and abroad to provide law students at 15 universities across Canada with the opportunity to work in the areas of human rights, the rule of law, and democratic development.

Too often the stories that you read about Aboriginal youth are sad.  But I have a happy and inspiring story to tell about some very special Aboriginal children and some amazing lawyer and law student volunteers and mentors.

On December 6th, Canadian Lawyers Abroad's Dare to Dream program was put into action with a mock trial featuring the grade 7 and 8 students at the First Nations School of Toronto.  Dare to Dream is an innovative program that provides Aboriginal students with meaningful opportunities to interact with law students and lawyers who serve as role models and mentors, help increase their knowledge about law and justice issues, and help them dream of finishing high school and achieving their career ambitions.

Every November CLA brings the Presidents of our Student Chapters to Ottawa to attend sessions on the year's theme and to learn more about how to run a CLA Chapter. This year 13 student Presidents from coast to coast attended sessions on transitional justice and best practices on how to run a CLA Chapter. We even had one Chapter President Skype in from the University of New Brunswick. Our newest Student Chapter - Thompson Rivers - attended CLA Training for the first time and Co-President Chrystie Stewart has provided a short summary of the Training sessions.
 

In mid-October, the Law Society’s Articling Task Force issued its final report. It should be required reading for all Ontario lawyers and law students.  The recommendations, assuming implemented, will have far-reaching implications for access to the legal profession and for how we prepare the next generation of lawyers for practice in Ontario.  Hopefully the result will also be an increased ability for the public to access lawyers in areas where there is currently a shortage.

On October 11^th, we had a very successful launch of the Toronto pilot of our Dare to Dream Program to inspire and mentor Aboriginal youth and help them to reach their potential – student-by-student.

Queen's University law student and CLA intern Jordan Sewell has been interning with the Behdzi Ahda First Nation in the NWT.  Read his thoughts on the community and his work:

Our second intern guest blogger, Stephen Hedley from UBC's Faculty of Law, reflects on his time with the Yukon Conservation Society in Whitehorse, Yukon:

Just in time for the long weekend, our first intern guest blogger, Lara Green from Dalhousie's Schulich School of Law, reports from Bangkok, Thailand!  Check out her experience with ECPAT below: