Pro Bono Students Canada UBC

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Pro Bono Students Canada UBC

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We match law student volunteers with community organizations, to break down barriers to justice!

Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) originated at the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto in 1996 where the PBSC National office is currently located. The national administrative office provides support and training for PBSC branches at law schools across Canada. The program was launched at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1998 with two main goals:

(1) to educate law students and to instill a pro bono ethic in future lawyers, and

(2) to serve communities in need.

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Our Principal Funder: The Law Foundation of BC
Our National Firm Partner: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Our National Legal Research Partner: WestlawNext Canada
Special Thanks To: The Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC, The Law Foundation of Ontario, and Thomson Reuters

06/15/2026

Meet Ben!
Ben volunteered at The Consent Project this past year. Here is what he had to say about his time at PBSC:
“[PBSC] allowed me to contribute to reducing barriers to legal information on an
undertaught topic and was something I found to be very meaningful. This experience also
strengthened my ability to communicate legal concepts in clear, accessible ways for non-legal
audiences.
Volunteering with PBSC is an excellent opportunity to enrich your legal education and gain
exposure to areas of law you might not otherwise encounter. I would strongly encourage others
to participate."

For those of you interested in enriching your legal education and gaining exposure to areas of law that you wouldn't otherwise encounter, we hope you consider PBSC!

06/01/2026

Meet Talia!
Talia volunteered at Atira Women’s Resource Society this past year. Here is what she had to say about her time at PBSC:

“I had a great time at my PBSC placement and learned so much. My supervising lawyer always treated me with such kindness and introduced me to new areas of the law I wouldn’t have learned about otherwise. I was able to engage in a unique legal process that is critical for access to justice for women in the Downtown Eastside (early resolution process for criminal cases). I am very grateful for this experience, and it has definitely informed the choices I’ve made in my legal career”

As Talia represented PBSC UBC at Atira, her role consisted of assisting Atira with intake sessions and conducting legal research on topics related to welfare/ disability law, tenancy law, aboriginal law, police complaints, family/ CFCSA matters, human rights violations.

For those of you interested in working with Atira, we hope to see your application come through early in the fall!

05/20/2026

We are excited to welcome Alida Rahemtulla and Pavneet Badhan as our Program Coordinators for the 2026-2027 school year!
They are so excited for the upcoming year, and if you are too, they hope to see your application to join or re-commit to PBSC very soon! Early Bird volunteer applications open August 24th!

You can get in touch with them at [email protected] for any questions or inquiries! Until then, stay updated with PBSC by liking our page and following us on Instagram at . Also, check out our website at https://pbsc.allard.ubc.ca/ to learn more about our program!

We look forward to welcoming all returning and new volunteers in September!

02/25/2026

Reminder that nominations are open for the 7th annual Chief Justice Richard Wagner Awards! This national award recognizes outstanding PBSC student volunteers, their exemplary leadership, and their commitment to closing the justice gap in Canada.
If you feel that one of our volunteers has demonstrated exemplary leadership and commitment to PBSC’s mission of providing free legal support to people and communities facing barriers to justice, we want to hear from you!
You can find our nomination form at this link here:
https://pbsc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_79yYhJGpExWMiIm

To be eligible to nominate a candidate for the Award, you must be:
- a representative from a Partner Organization that is currently partnered with the PBSC Chapter at which the nomination is being made;
- a current Lawyer Supervisor;
- and/or, a PBSC Student Volunteer enrolled at the law faculty at which the nomination is being made.
Please submit your nominations now because the form will close on February 27 @12:00 pm!

08/25/2025

Apply now for our early bird application cycle!

You will be given top priority in your project choices. Find a list of our projects for this year and our application form on our website https://pbsc.allard.ubc.ca/ .

06/17/2025

We are excited to welcome Armaan Dhanoa and Jenny Tran as our Program Coordinators for the 2025-2026 school year! Feel free to reach out to them at [email protected] for any questions or inquiries!

Early bird volunteer applications open August 25! Until then, stay updated with PBSC by liking our page and following us on Instagram at . Also, check out our website at https://pbsc.allard.ubc.ca/ to learn more about our program!

We look forward to welcoming all returning and new volunteers in September!

02/07/2024

We are excited to announce that nominations are officially open for the 5th annual Chief Justice Richard Wagner Awards! This national award recognizes outstanding PBSC student volunteers, their exemplary leadership, and their commitment to closing the justice gap in Canada.

If you feel that one of our volunteers has demonstrated exemplary leadership and commitment to PBSC’s mission of providing free legal support to people and communities facing barriers to justice, we want to hear from you!

You can find our nomination form at this link here: https://pbsc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1C8g3c97hvGlq06

To be eligible to nominate a candidate for the Award, you must be:
- a representative from a Partner Organization that is currently partnered with the PBSC Chapter at which the nomination is being made;
- a current Lawyer Supervisor;
- and/or, a PBSC Student Volunteer enrolled at the law faculty at which the nomination is being made.

Please submit your nominations now because the form will close on February 23!

01/16/2024

*Apply now!*

Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) is hiring two students to serve as the Program Coordinators in the 2024-25 academic year. Program Coordinators are responsible for overseeing all aspects of PBSC's programming, including:
- Designing and developing legal projects;
- Collaborating with public interest organizations, community groups, legal clinics, and legal practitioners;
- Recruiting and training student volunteers;
- Overseeing PBSC placements;
and building and leading a community of PBSC volunteers to engage law students with public interest work and the pro bono ethic. All 1L and 2L students are encouraged to apply!

This role is full-time from May through August, and part-time from September through April. The deadline to apply is 11:59 pm on Monday, January 22, 2024. For more information please see the job posting on ACE, visit www.pbsc.allard.ubc.ca, or reach out to current Program Coordinators Erin Valentine and Eric Cislak at [email protected].

11/07/2023

PBSC is excited to co-present the Social Justice Forum and Mixer!

Social Justice Forum: Meet over 25 of British Columbia's social justice organizations, all under one roof! This is a unique community-building opportunity for you to learn more about the work of local social justice organizations, meet lawyers and legal advocates practicing in this area, and connect with like-minded colleagues in the Allard Law student community.

When: Thursday, November 9th, 2023 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Where: Simon Fraser University's Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street in Rooms 1400-1420 (Joseph and Rosalie Segal Centre)

Sponsored by the CSO and Pro Bono Students Canada. Complimentary appetizers provided! Register now on ACE at https://law-allard-ubc.12twenty.com/events #/events/1300110114768.

And, join us afterwards for the 'App-y Hour' Mixer at Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar in Gastown (601 W Cordova Street) at 8pm!

Mingle with organization representatives and fellow students to get to know the people working in, and interested in working in social justice careers.

More snacks to share will be provided. Attendees are responsible for their own additional food and beverages.

Hosted by Pro Bono Students Canada and Allard clubs: Social Welfare Law and Policy Society, Law Students for Decriminalization & Harm Reduction, and UBC Law Disability Alliance.

We can't wait to see you there!

11/01/2023

PBSC is pleased to offer a workshop on Vicarious Trauma and Self Care in collaboration with the Allard Wellness Office. Note this workshop has been especially developed as additional training for PBSC volunteers. While it is not mandatory, it is the final installation in our training series and PBSC volunteers are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED to attend!

Working with clients who have experienced trauma may have a detrimental impact on you. In Pro Bono work, you will hear many stories, and in detail. Listening to stories of trauma can produce vicarious trauma reactions within you, and/or the stories may trigger any personal trauma you may have experienced in the present or past. Regardless of whether you experience vicarious trauma or not, working in these situations can be extremely stressful. This workshop will begin with a presentation by Student Wellbeing Counsellor, Andrea Falco to provide you with psychoeducation about trauma and stress, and introduce coping strategies to prevent or regulate your reactions. The workshop will also provide time to discuss individual coping needs, so please take some time to reflect on your experiences and if you’d like to share. Each situation and coping strategy discussed will be from an empowering, coping lens.

After the formal presentation, there will be a Q&A and time to create wallet-sized coping cards. Attendees can choose to stay to work on these cards or use them as a take-home activity.

Please feel welcome to bring your lunch to the event – there will also be snacks available to all volunteers.

The event will take place on November 2nd from 12:30 PM – 2 PM in Room 106 at Allard Hall – we hope to see you there!

Address

Room 138, Peter A. Allard School Of Law, UBC, 1822 East Mall
Vancouver, BC
V6T1Z1

Telephone

+16048228009

Website

http://pbsc.allard.ubc.ca/

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