About PBSC
Who We Are
In the fall of 1996, Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) was established at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, as a public interest organization dedicated to providing law students with hands on legal experience in public interest law, and communities in need with free legal information. Since that time, PBSC has grown into a national network of law schools and community organizations enabling law students who want to do pro bono work to volunteer with non-profit organizations, government agencies, courts and tribunals and lawyers working pro bono. The program has involved approximately 11,000 students from across Canada. Each year, approximately 2,000 students participate in PBSC programs at all 20 law schools across Canada.
What We Do
PBSC combines education and public service, enabling law students to develop their legal skills and broaden their education while providing critical legal services. Students can participate in on-campus programs and events, and become involved in offering legal services to groups and individuals in the community who don’t qualify for legal aid and can’t afford legal representation, but are often in desperate need of legal support. Whenever students are involved in providing legal services to communities or courts, we require that they work with a lawyer supervisor, which has allowed us to engage members of the profession. These lawyers, faculty members and judges volunteer their time and are a central part of how we achieve what we do.
Le Réseau francophone
The Francophone Pro Bono Students Canada Network, known as "le Réseau francophone" is the only group of its kind in Canada. Le Réseau francophone includes French speaking schools both in Québec and elsewhere in Canada and mainly operates in the Civil Law jurisdiction. In order to develop le réseau at the highest possible level, in 2005 we created the national office position – National Francophone Coordinator. This has allowed us to ensure that we provide guidance and support to each of le réseau pro bono schools as well as to the network more broadly. Le réseau pro bono is already making a significant difference for the national program and individual programs across the country. In 2007 each law school in Quebec sent student Program Coordinators to our National Conference. By connecting these student leaders with each other and with our strong national network, we are witnessing idea-sharing and creativity that exceeds even our expectations. As these students continue to build independent relationships with one another, they are creating a marketplace of ideas, fueling new partnerships and innovation in public interest communities across Canada. By inspiring new ways to incorporate the law in public service, le réseau has the potential to enhance the pro bono ethic in Québec, in Canada and civil law jurisdictions in the world beyond.
