Student Legal Clinic

In partnership with University of British Columbia’s Peter A. Allard School of Law, Rise has been offering student externship to law students from the university since 2016. The Student Legal Clinic is Rise’s first program. Students who complete the externship gain first-hand experience with family law files. Students are carefully trained and closely supervised by Rise’s staff lawyers.

What should students should know before applying?

A maximum of six students are accepted each semester mainly comprised of 2nd and 3rd year law students from UBC Peter Allard School of Law. Students apply for Temporary Articles before starting orientation. The externship program consists of two complementary courses: Law 429 and Law 431D, which are worth a total of 15 academic credits and fulfil the major paper requirement. Both courses take place on-site at Rise. Upon successful completion of the Rise externship, students receive academic credit for their semester’s work.

150+ law students trained since 2016

Students receive hands on family law experience and trauma informed training, so that they are able to provide adequate care to Rise’s clients, 80% of whom have experienced family violence. Students go through orientation for 4 weeks and begin reaching out to clients in week 5. The student legal clinic is supervised by staff lawyers at Rise. Rise works primarily in family law, on issues including family violence, parenting arrangements, child support, spousal support and divorce. Services includes summary legal advice or opinions, desk order divorces, document drafting and negotiations, and representation primarily in Provincial Court.

The co-requisite Externship Reflections course enhances and supports students’ understanding of community legal practice by allowing them to situate their clinical work within a broader social justice context. The Reflections course encourages students to read, discuss and reflect on themes specific to women and the law, legal advocacy, and other themes arising from their clinical experience.

There are no prerequisite course requirements, but there will be a preference for students who have completed the strongly recommended courses - Family Law and Evidence before starting the externship.

How do you apply?

The application process for the externship is handled by UBC’s Peter A. School of Law. Interested students can find more information about applications here.

Have questions about the externship program? You can email Elizabeth Cameron, Director of Legal Education, at ecameron@womenslegalcentre.ca.

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • There are no prerequisite course requirements, but there will be a preference for students who have completed the strongly recommended courses - Family Law and Evidence before starting the externship.

  • Yes, students are expected to be at Rise full-time during at the externship term.

  • The externship program consists of two complementary courses: Law 379D Women’s Legal Clinic and Law 380C Externship Reflections, which are worth a total of 15 academic credits and fulfil the major paper requirement. Both courses take place on-site at Rise. The students apply for temporary articles from the Law Society and provide limited legal services to clients. Upon successful completion of the Rise externship, receive academic credit for their semester’s work.

  • Th externship begins with a three to four week training period, after which students run their own caseload at Rise. Rise works primarily in family law, on issues including family violence, parenting arrangements, child support, spousal support and divorce. Services includes summary legal advice or opinions, desk order divorces, document drafting and negotiations, and in some cases courtroom representation in Provincial Court.

    The co-requisite Externship Reflections course enhances and supports students’ understanding of community legal practice by allowing them to situate their clinical work within a broader social justice context. The Reflections course encourages students to read, discuss and reflect on themes specific to women and the law, legal advocacy, and other themes arising from their clinical experience.

The Student Legal Clinic is made possible thanks to generous funding from the University of British Columbia’s Peter A. Allard School of Law and the Gloria Baylis Foundation.