The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice of Canada, was guest speaker at the Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) program launch on September 19, 2006. The pro bono program has been operating in the University of Ottawa Common Law Section since 1998 and in the Civil Law Section since 2004.
PBSC is a network of law schools, law students, community organizations and lawyers working together to enhance access to justice in Canada. PBSC places students in communities to provide under-represented individuals, groups, and organizations with pro bono legal services. PBSC matches volunteer law students with non-profit organizations, government agencies, other public interest groups and lawyers doing pro bono work.
Some 1,000 law students from across Canada, including 100 from uOttawa, contributed their voluntary legal services to a range of communities and organizations last year. McLachlin recognized their commitment: “They took an essential step toward the creation of an ethos — of a philosophy — toward voluntary help."
