No. We encourage all students who are interested in understanding how to do access to justice work focusing on the needs and experiences of women and gender diverse clients to apply to join us.

All students at Rise do an introductory three to four week orientation to learn the basics of family law and targeted training opportunities based on their program. This training is interdisciplinary and both law students and social work students will have opportunities to be in training by lawyers and social work staff.

Yes. Closely supervised by your supervisors, you will work on client files.

For law students, you will take on files from the previous semester as well as files that are referred to you through legal clinics.

For social work students, you will work with your supervisor to come to an agreement about your learning goals and the kind of client work you will do.

Rise’s main office is located at the corner of Richards and Pender under Hotel Canada. We have a slightly hipster aesthetic with brick walls and big windows. Law students have their own dedicated computer and desk. Practicum students will be assigned a station depending on when they are starting.

The staff are approachable and work from a client-centered and trauma-informed lens. We believe deeply in improving access to justice and we recognize that many people, with diverse identities and voices, do not feel that they have a space in law. We work hard to ensure a culture of openness, a focus on challenging conventional ways of being, and a willingness to challenge our own assumptions – we think law can and must be done differently to improve access to justice.

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

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.