The following post was written by 2L Stephen Hedley who worked as a Legal Intern at the Yukon Conservation Society in Whitehorse this summer.
YCS is a non-profit environmental organization and its mandate is to pursue ecosystem well-being throughout the Yukon and beyond, recognizing that human well-being is ultimately dependent upon fully functioning healthy ecosystems. YCS has an incredibly diverse range of projects on the go which include everything from campaigns aimed at local issues affecting Whitehorse residents to campaigns affecting all Yukoners and indeed all Canadians. The organization plays a big role in a number of community organizations/coalitions and also maintains an influential presence in territorial and national media.
As YCS’s Legal Intern I was given a lot of freedom and responsibility considering my fresh-out-of-1L status. Among other things, I conducted background research for potential legal arguments, liaised with territorial and federal government employees, wrote memos and reports for internal use and for use in the wider community, assessed legal opinions and did an analysis of the Yukon’s environmental legislation.
The CLA summer internship was an amazing complement to my first year of law school. It was a very powerful experience to take some of the law learned in the classroom and see it applied in the real world. I was genuinely surprised to see just how much I could contribute to my host organization after only one year of law school. More importantly, some of the people I met and worked with this summer had a profound impact on my view of the world and what I hope to accomplish with my law degree. What impressed me more than anything was the positivity that my coworkers brought to the job. They focused on the victories, on building community, on applying themselves to the promotion and development of renewable energy sources and better laws for Yukoners and Canadians, and on raising awareness and advocating for a truly sustainable future, environmentally and economically. It is amazing what five hard-working people in a little blue house in Whitehorse can accomplish.
Outside the office, my coworkers were amazing hosts. I had the opportunity to do several great hikes, paddle in the Yukon River, mountain bike some of the endless single-track trails around the city and attend a backyard BBQ, the likes of which I have never seen – picture a full-on concert with stage lighting, smoke machines and professional PA system on someone’s back porch while the audience is dressed in winter jackets and touques. I also managed a couple incredible road trips to Kluane National Park and Skagway, Alaska!
I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the CLA summer internship and would recommend the experience to anyone. It has left me feeling better prepared for second year and optimistic about what can be done with a law degree.
ABOUT CLA at UBC
The UBC chapter of CLA is a small group of law students that works at sending one or two interns abroad or to Canada’s North each year. We will be holding a number of meetings of interest throughout the year. We will also be holding events to help provide funding for those students selected as CLA interns.
If you have any questions about the club or the application process, please contact this year’s Co-President Malcolm Funt at malcomfunt@hotmail.com.
We will have a table at orientation week clubs day where you can sign up for the UBC chapter, meet current members and get more information. I encourage everyone to sign up!
CLA’s website provides information about available internships, the application process, as well as profiles of past interns and more.
Canadian Lawyers Abroad website: http://cla-ace.ca/
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