New courses to enhance ‘readiness to practice’ As the legal profession changes with the times, so must law students. Queen’s Law is enhancing its curriculum to ensure this happens, with two new courses aimed at addressing a potential “skills gap.” “Queen’s Law’s placement rates are already among the highest for a Canadian law school,” Dean Bill Flanagan says, “but our alumni tell me there’s a clearly identified need for new graduates with not only a strong knowledge of the law, but also practical grounding in how it is practised in the 21st century.” That’s why the school will be offering two new courses for both JD students and legal professionals this fall. Course developer and program designer Shai Dubey, Law’94, says, “The goal is to accelerate the success of those with the knowledge to lead in the legal sector by giving them skills that let them hit the
ground running in practice.” The first course is Financial Literacy for Lawyers, providing the financial acumen to thrive in a rapidly changing legal environment. The second is Shaping the Future of Legal Practice. “How is technology affecting delivery of legal services now?” Flanagan asks; “How will this change? New and different business structures are forming in law. Innovation is increasingly a core skill for legal practitioners. We want to encourage students to see themselves as future entrepreneurs, with an understanding of the technologies that will profoundly impact the legal industry.” The Dean adds that “expanding our toolkit will help ensure our students are ready for practice, without detracting from our core mission to train our students in law and legal analysis.”
LAW-849: Financia l Literacy for Lawy ers LAW-850: Shaping the Future of Lega l Practice
Pro Bono students lead Queen’s Park bill
Queen’s Pro Bono volunteers Olga Michtchouk, Law’18, Karla McGrath, LLM’13, Taylor Burnie, Law’19, and Ben Clarke, Law’19. Queen’s volunteers with Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) are enjoying the great satisfaction of seeing their work impact all of Ontario through a bill debated and approved at Queen’s Park on March 29 for referral to the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills. It was students Olga Michtchouk, Law’18, Ben Clarke, Law’19, and
8 QUEEN’S LAW REPORTS
Taylor Burnie, Law’19, working with volunteer lawyer supervisor Karla McGrath, LLM’13, who identified an issue that arose in a PBSC clinic program and elevated it to prospective legislation. Helping people get or replace Ontario photo ID cards exposed the problem, McGrath explains: marginally housed or transient people often had
neither the “permanent address” nor the $35 application fee. Applying also requires prior identification, including a $35 birth certificate. Having no card leaves many people without access to needed services and with no bank account for direct-deposit disability payments. Generous donations from the Frontenac Law Association and Awesome Kingston Foundation provided a “workaround” resolution for some local clinic clients, but the underlying fee problem remained. The students’ response was their “PBSC Fee Waiver Initiative.” In December 2017, the Queen’s team enlisted the support of Kingston MPP Sophie Kiwala, who brought Bill 26, The Fee Waivers Act, to the Ontario legislature as a private member’s bill. “Many agencies working with low-income people have expressed significant interest and appreciation,” says McGrath, “so this isn’t just a Kingston issue. Getting Bill 26 approved will mean our Queen’s Law students have made an impact on the entire province.”
