The Organization:
PLEIS-NB is a non-profit organization and a registered charity. Their mandate is to develop bilingual educational products and services about the law for the general public in order to promote access to the legal system. Their goal is to assist the public in identifying and understanding their legal rights and responsibilities, and attaining self-help skills where appropriate, to improve their ability to deal with legal issues.
The Project:
PLEIS-NB will take two students this year with one working the Family Law Project and one assisting with their other legal research and writing projects.
The FLP student will assist in running the organization’s family law workshops which seek to assist people facing common family issues such as uncontested divorces and child support variation. Workshops are held once a month and the students will be on hand to help explain the procedures and rules for filing forms, serving documents, etc. The workshops are run by experienced family law lawyers, but the students will assist with all tasks related to running the workshop. Students may also have the chance to lead the workshop as they become more familiar with the material. Students will also aid in drafting and revision the documents and handouts used at the workshop and should be comfortable with, or have an interest in, family law. As the workshops are only run once a month, the students will also be expected to assist with other family law research projects during their placement. Family Law is a required course for students interested in this project.
The other student will assist with legal research and writing projects on various topics as needs arise at PLEIS-NB, with a potential focus on Youth Justice. Potential work for 2017/2018 includes research on the Intimate Partner Violence Intervention Act, the Advanced Health Care Directive Act and work on a directory of services for victims of abuse on reserves.
Students are expected to complete their hours at the PLEIS-NB office and would work a three hour shift once a week. This is a great chance to work closely with an organization that provides and important legal service in our community.
For more information on PLEIS-NB, visit their Facebook page or website.
The Volunteers:
2 students, preference given to upper years who have taken or are enrolled in Family Law.
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