The EJ&S Clinic students participate in "Common Clinic Projects" (CCPs), proposed by external client organizations that are researching cutting edge legal questions. Students work collectively to research legal questions, facilitate guest speakers, and write a research paper or design a research project.
If you are an environmental community organization with a pressing legal question related to the environment, environmental justice, and/or sustainability, please get in touch about developing a CCP for students to engage in.
FAQs
What type of work can I expect from students?
Student work on CCPs depends on the type of legal question(s) posed by the organization and what type of output best suits it. Typically students compile a comprehensive research memo for the organization however other outputs such as comparison charts and options papers are also viable depending on the project identified.
Can I pose only one legal question for the CCP student group to work on?
Depending on the scope of the question, multiple questions could be considered. It depends on if answering them and creating the relevant output would be able to be completed by the students in the allotted timeframes.
I'm having trouble identifying a specific CCP project or legal question but know that our organization needs legal help. What can I do?
Get in touch with our clinic Director to see if we can help you narrow this down/if it would be a good fit for the EJSC!
We do not have a Lawyer Supervisor at our organization to supervise the students. Are we still eligible for a partnership?
Yes! CCPs do not need to have a Lawyer Supervisor as they are typically not legal organizations. The clinic Director acts as one of the primary supervisors in this regard.
How many students will work on the project?
Depending on the number of CCPs for the year and the number of students in the Clinic, CCP student groups will consist of a minimum of two students and a maximum of five students.
Who are the students involved in this Clinic?
Second and third year JD students at Osgoode Hall who have shown a demonstrated interest in the environment, environmental justice, and sustainability. Our students are motivated and highly capable and we have had many years of positive placement experiences.
What is the timeline of the student group's commitment?
Students will be dedicating approximately 3-5 hours/week to their CCP work. This will begin in early September until the end of November pausing for the month of December. When the academic term resumes in January, students will return to working on the CCPs until the end of March. There is no expectation of work for students on holidays and Reading Weeks.
Do the students work in person, virtually, or hybrid?
Students generally work remotely on CCPs. However, if there is an important in person component that can be reasonably arranged, organizations may ask students to attend in person. This should be identified early on in the CCP description so that students are aware of any in person expectations before signing on for that CCP group.
What is the role of the Community Organization?
The role of the Community Organization is to provide a focused legal question(s) for students to investigate and answer, follow up on the work, provide guidance to the student(s), conduct weekly check-ins with the CCP group, and conduct a Common Clinic Workshop for the entire EJSC in the Fall semester.
How and when do I get in touch to develop a student placement with the Clinic?
Contact the clinic Director! Information on how to contact us can be found here. CCPs are typically developed in the summer term for the next academic year. It is recommended that interested organizations reach out anywhere from April - August.
