Law students benefit from hands-on experience with Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta

Students at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law are helping to develop vital legal resources for Albertans thanks to a new partnership with the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta.

The Low Income Individuals and the Law course, taught by Associate Professor Anna Lund and Instructor Katherine Weaver, partnered with CPLEA in fall 2022 with three students participating in the new placement.

Originally designed by Weaver and Professor Emerita Catherine Bell, the course has been placing students with Legal Aid Alberta and the Edmonton Community Legal Centre for fourteen years. 

The experiential course helps students develop skills to deliver legal services to low income individuals and other marginalized groups. In addition to a eight-month placement at one of the three organizations, students take part in an intensive orientation in September, regularly debriefing sessions in the autumn, and a winter seminar, taught by Weaver, which gives students the space and intellectual tools to connect their placementment experiences with substantive and theoretical knowledge of legal issues faced by low income individuals. 

“[We] were delighted to add CPLEA as a placement partner,” says Lund. “The placement provides students with a chance to learn about how lawyers can empower people through education and, sometimes, prevent legal problems before they arise.” 

“The students placed at CPLEA can then offer a different and valuable perspective in the seminar portion of the course. Their experiences compliment those of students involved in the direct delivery of legal services to clients at our two other placement organizations.” 

CPLEA creates resources that help people understand their rights and obligations under the law in order to improve both access to justice and the quality of justice available to Albertans.

Crystal Hayden, ‘24 JD, one of the centre’s inaugural students alongside Isaac Belland, ‘24 JD, and Lillian Howard, ‘24 JD, benefited greatly from her time there.

“Before my placement with CPLEA, my knowledge of public legal education was limited,” says Hayden. “During my time there, I gained insight into how crucial and essential public legal education is for self-represented individuals and as a useful tool for access to justice.”

CPLEA helps empower people by giving them tools to understand their rights and obligations. Hayden notes that these resources can work in tandem with the legal advice services provided by clinics, which are often limited to a 45 or 60 minute summary advice meeting between a lawyer and the person experiencing the legal problem.  

“Offering easy-to-understand resources, free of complicated legal jargon, and supporting flow charts can significantly benefit individuals. Such resources not only improve their comprehension of their legal issues but also help them make the most of their limited time with the clinics,” she says.

In addition to providing hands-on training, the first year of the partnership was also a significant asset for CPLEA, as new resource ideas arose from Hayden, Belland and Howard.

“We appreciated the fresh energy and perspectives that all of our placement students brought to our organization,” says Judy Feng, Staff Lawyer and Project Manager at CPLEA. “Throughout the year, they were involved in researching current legal issues and also contributing to creating resources that meet people’s needs. Their work helps us evolve the delivery of public legal education and information to Albertans.”

“Our Going to a Legal Clinic video is a project that arose from brainstorming sessions with our placement students,” adds Feng. “[They] recognized a need for demystifying processes for getting free legal support and contributed to the video’s concept creation.”

Again demonstrating how legal education and legal clinics can work in tandem, the video details what people can expect when they visit a legal clinic and includes a number of staff members from clinics across Alberta. It’s one of many helpful tools made possible by the continuing collaboration between the Faculty of Law and CPLEA.

The course will once again pair three students with CPLEA to work on public legal education projects this fall after the successful collaboration last year.