NEWS
4 Obiter Dicta
Bridging the Justice Gap
Helping the public and furthering your career at the same time
noorain shethwala ›
program coordinator, pro bono
students canada
C
ourts, law yers, and litigants are in the
midst of undertaking a profound shift to
address the harsh reality that legal justice is
beyond the reach of average Canadians.
There have been numerous new developments in
the legal discourse aimed at tackling the prominent
access to justice crisis. The needlessly high costs and
complexity are shutting most Canadians out of the
justice system, and the ones most susceptible to the
deprivation are poor and marginalized communities. As law students we are taught that justice is a
fundamental component of democracy, but are often
helpless in our ability to advance the ideal of a fully
accessible justice system. Through Pro Bono Students
Canada (pbsc), students have the rare opportunity to
use their legal training and skills to fill in some of the
gaps in the system. pbsc is a national award-winning
organization that matches law students with a variety of public interest organizations in need of legal
resources. pbsc is the only national pro bono service organization anywhere in the world. By exposing students to the value of pro bono work, we aim
to encourage the next generation of lawyers to make
pro bono service part of their practice. We aim to
match students of all years with organizations based
on experience, interests, and specific skills in order to
create dynamic working relationships and maximize
the benefit to both the studen