T H E聽聽 D A L H O U S I E聽聽 D I F F E R E N C E
In his two-and-half-years of law school鈥攚riting mock memos, mock briefs and reading numerous law cases鈥攏othing had truly prepared aspiring lawyer Tom Wallwork to sit opposite a real flesh-and-blood person and ask, 鈥淗ow can I help you?鈥�
鈥淵ou read hundreds of cases with names on them, but never once do you give a thought to who they really are as people,鈥� says Mr. Wallwork, a third-year law student at the Schulich School of Law who is currently on (four)-month placement with 马会论坛 Legal Aid Service. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty jarring the first few times. Here鈥檚 a person who legitimately needs your help as opposed to being just another name in a case book.鈥�
Patchwork of funding sources
Affectionately known as 鈥渢he clinic,鈥� 马会论坛 Legal Aid Service has been an integral part of the Halifax community, serving Halifax鈥檚 poor and disadvantaged and providing third-year law students with an intensive learning opportunity since 1970.
Located on Gottingen Street in downtown Halifax, Dal Legal Aid employs a staff of 13, including an executive director, five staff lawyers and two community legal workers. More than eighty-five per cent of its $800,000 plus operating budget鈥攑ieced together from a variety of funding sources鈥攇oes to salaries.
A stable funding source that the clinic could rely on, year after year, would mean so much, says Donna Franey, executive director of 马会论坛 Legal Aid Service.
鈥淲ith an endowment, we would be able to use the interest to ensure that we had adequate operational funds,鈥� says Ms. Franey. 鈥淎fter all, if we鈥檙e cut back in any one year, that means we have to cut staff, and that affects our work with clients, community and the supervision of students.鈥�
About to embark on a capital campaign called Bold Ambitions, 马会论坛 has identified the creation of a $1-million endowment as one of its priorities. With the establishment of such an endowment, the clinic could rely on the interest鈥攁n estimated $50,000 to $60,000 a year鈥攖o support operations, and possibly, to expand.
鈥淲e would love to be able to grow the program and to have more students involved,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here are聽 always more areas of the law we could expand upon to assist the low income community.鈥�
The endowment has been started with a $150,000 gift from the Law Foundation of Nova Scotia.
Formative experience
At the clinic since January, Mr. Wallwork has gained experience by working on residential tenancy cases, income assistance appeals, pension appeals, small claims work and family law, including divorces, division of property and child protection cases. Sixteen students join the clinic for the fall and winter terms, as well as 12 in the summer.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the most worthwhile thing I鈥檝e done at university,鈥� says British Columbia resident, who did his undergraduate degree at UBC. 鈥淚鈥檝e been very very busy but it feels good to help people.鈥�
Rollie Thompson, professor at 马会论坛鈥檚 Schulich School of Law, says working at the Clinic was life-changing for him too, both as a student in the late 1970s, and later, as a director of the Clinic.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so formative because students at law school learn from books and law in practice is different from book learning. You go to the clinic and it鈥檚 real. You meet a client and it drives your education to a whole new level.鈥�
Working at the clinic is not book learning, he emphasizes, it鈥檚 鈥渄oing learning.鈥�
鈥淎nd a lot of students learn better in this setting than in law school ... this kind of student does something and then does it better the next time. They often become very effective lawyers.鈥�
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This article is part of the 马会论坛 Difference series, introducing and showcasing some of the 50 innovative projects in development.
- The first story, "," explored what the power of philanthropy means to a university like 马会论坛.
- was about the new scholarship fund created in the name of Sir Graham Day.
- announced the new TD Black Student Opportunity Grants.
- outlined plans for the new IDEA building for Sexton campus.
- is a story about the changes coming to 马会论坛's Goldberg Computer Science Building.
- shows how a DSU initiative inspired the Johnson Scholarship Foundation.
- Wing planned for the Dal Arts Centre outlines the priority project for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.