SASKATOON — The Government of Saskatchewan has provided $100,000 to the University of Saskatchewan College of Law’s Rural and Regional Externship program. The program provides expanded experiential learning opportunities for law students with Legal Aid and Public Prosecutions offices in rural locations.
“It is important to provide students with the opportunity to engage in diverse and instructive placements as part of their education and to help them plan their future careers,” Justice Minister and Attorney General Tim McLeod, K.C., said. “Learning placements give students exposure to different communities, different areas of practice and experience in practical, hands-on work alongside practicing lawyers.”
The Rural and Regional Legal Externship program provides a dynamic blend of practical training that gives students a comprehensive experience and allows them to explore different legal fields while applying their knowledge to real legal issues in a practical setting.
"Legal Aid Saskatchewan significantly benefits from the Rural and Regional Legal Externship as the externship exposes students to our work in smaller offices in rural and remote areas, where it has been historically more difficult to recruit staff,” Legal Aid Saskatchewan CEO Jayne Malin said. “This exposure then fuels a passion for not only criminal or family law, but for providing service to those unique communities, and translates into a desire to continue to work and provide service to rural and remote communities.”
These placements, experiences and mentorship also assist in the recruitment and retention of new lawyers in the Saskatchewan public service and help students determine where they want to focus their legal practice.
“Within my first few weeks at Legal Aid, I realized that the impact of criminal and child protection law on Indigenous People, is an area where I need to deepen my understanding, which led me to seek out additional professional training," Legal Aid Prince Albert Externship Student Faith Favel said. "I truly cannot say enough positive things about it.”
As part of the program, students work with a mentor to handle real legal cases, which provides them with critical hands-on experience they can use to begin their careers as practicing lawyers.
“Real-world learning experiences are invaluable for our students,” University of Saskatchewan College of Law Dean Martin Phillipson said. “As the practice of law becomes more complex, it is critical that our graduates are collaborative and flexible. These placements help them develop these skills. We are grateful that the provincial government sees the value in our students having these practical experiences.”
The Federation of Law Societies proposed that all law schools make experiential learning opportunities available to students. This is part of a broader understanding that practical experience is foundational to shift legal education beyond academics and lecture halls.
The University of Saskatchewan College of Law is the oldest Law school in Western Canada and provides both a three-year Juris Doctor degree program and Master of Laws program.
Placements for the externships are available to second- and third-year law students at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law. More information about the program can be found online at Experiential Education – College of Law | University of Saskatchewan (usask.ca).
