October 2014 CLA-ACE Internship Program Update!

It is a really exciting time for the CLA-ACE internship program as we are in the stages of finalizing our 2015 CLA-ACE summer positions. Be sure to look for new and exciting human rights placements across the globe, including new partnerships with organizations in India and Bangladesh!

It is a really exciting time for the CLA-ACE internship program as we are in the stages of finalizing our 2015 CLA-ACE summer positions. Be sure to look for new and exciting human rights placements across the globe, including new partnerships with organizations in India and Bangladesh!

General Notes:

• The finalized 2015 CLA-ACE internship list will be available by: December 1, 2014
• The deadline to apply for 2015 CLA-ACE positions will be: Jan 31, 2015
• To get a sense of what students experienced and felt about their 2014 CLA-ACE internships, you can check out the ‘2014 Reflections from the Field’ document available on our home website!
• If you have any questions about the CLA-ACE internship program, please contact Director of Student Internships, Sephra Smith at: Ssmith@cla-ace.ca

In the Summer of 2014, CLA-ACE had 19 passionate and committed student interns in the field contributing to projects that range from enforcing women’s rights, prosecuting crimes against humanity, representing low income clients at legal clinics, promoting environmental sustainability, and supporting the work of Aboriginal communities.

We had students representing law schools from across the country, including: the University of Ottawa, Dalhousie University, the University of Toronto, the University of Calgary, Queen’s University, the University of Manitoba, Université de Montreal, the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Windsor, the University of Alberta, Lakehead University, the University of British Columbia, the University of New Brunswick, Thompson Rivers University, and McGill University.

In 2014, CLA-ACE continued its longstanding partnerships with ECPAT International in Bangkok, Beyond Borders in Ottawa, Yukon River Intertribal Watershed Council in Whitehorse and Alaska, Avocats Sans Frontiers in Quebec City, Mikisew Cree First Nation in Fort McMurray, Federation of Women Lawyers-Kenya in Nairobi, and the Law Society of Nunavut in Iqaluit. In 2014, we also welcomed new partnerships with Chiefs of Ontario in Toronto, International Commission of Jurists-Kenya in Nairobi, Centre for Democratic Development-Ghana in Accra, Yukon Human Rights Commission in Whitehorse, and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. in Iqaluit.

Here is what a few of CLA-ACE’s interns had to say about their experiences this past summer: 

“Learning about the application of the law and its operation within remote northern areas of Canada was eye-opening. I engaged in conversations about the northern legal context with individuals from legal and non-legal backgrounds and discussed issues surrounding the court circuit system and the alienation many Nunavummiut feel in relation to the justice system. Discovering on-the-ground realities surrounding the functioning of the justice system after studying case-law and theory in the classroom was important for me as a law student.” — Chloe Boubalos, student at University of Toronto, Faculty of Law

Chloe interned at: the Law Society of Nunavut & Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., Iqaluit, Nunavut

“The highlight of the internship was the people. I was fortunate to meet such a variety of people from victims of SGBV to the Chief Justice of Kenya; from the Dean of Oxford Law to paralegals in our access to justice network. These opportunities simply don’t exist for law students in Canada. I can’t imagine having such unfettered access to justices of the Supreme Court, the AG of the UK, members of the Kenyan National Assembly, even Prof Roach and Justice Sharpe stopped by from Canada… and the list goes on. The people at the ICJ are wonderful and I will miss them all dearly, including Oscar, our super nice security guard (always smiling that guy!).” — Craig Mracek, student at the University of Saskatchewan, Faculty of Law

Craig interned at: the International Commission of Jurists in Kenya (ICJ Kenya) in Nairobi, Kenya

“I greatly increased my substantive knowledge of indigenous culture, legal traditions and policy approaches. I also improved my ability to work independently, make judgment calls and be pro-active….The highlight of my internship was being able to attend the Annual Ontario Chiefs Conference. It was a great opportunity to be able to sit in on closed-door meetings between chiefs and grand chiefs.” — James Hsu, student at the University of British Columbia, Faculty of Law

James interned at: Chiefs of Ontario, in Toronto, Ontario