About
As a free student-run law clinic operating in Saskatoon, CLASSIC has been continuously providing service to the community since February 2007. CLASSIC also works with other community organizations through mutual referrals so that clients' legal and non-legal issues are appropriately addressed.
Opportunities for law students
Students at the College of Law can get involved with CLASSIC through the intensive clinical law program (click on the button below for more details), or as a volunteer.
CLASSIC runs three programs:
- Walk-in advocacy clinic (WAC)
Under a supervising lawyer, law students work on files, go to court, draft court documents, and more. - Legal Advice Clinic (LAC)
Law students help take notes for lawyers who give advice to low-income individuals with family, civil, and criminal issues. - SIP (Systemic Initiatives Program)
Law students help research and organize in the community to achieve social justice.
College of Law students can elect to work with CLASSIC during the school year, as part of the intensive clinical law program or as a volunteer through Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC), or during the summer as a volunteer.
Reaping experiential benefits
Clinical law students, through their work with clients at CLASSIC, take on client files under the supervision of practicing lawyers. They are exposed to the complexity and nuances of legal practice, and are called upon to develop both technical lawyering skills and professional skills, such as judgment and legal analysis, through case work.
Each step of students’ work is carefully mentored by supervising lawyers and the course instructor, ensuring ample opportunities for learning and reflecting on experiences. The immersion in professional practice also exposes students to the complex ethical duties of lawyers. Thus, the program exemplifies the integration of ethical practice along with an emphasis on particular lawyering skills.
The students, their future clients and the legal community all ultimately benefit.
Learning about access to justice
Because of CLASSIC’s location in one of Saskatoon’s core neighbourhoods and its emphasis on community engagement, clinical law students learn first hand about larger issues relating to access to justice in Saskatoon. Students learn that the weight of the law rests heavily upon the most disadvantaged members of society, who disproportionately rely on public benefits, are disproportionately criminalized and incarcerated, and who are least able to afford legal representation. Students learn that lawyering is context-specific and that effective legal practice requires learning about clients’ community, social and economic contexts. An interdisciplinary focus at CLASSIC means that students work with social workers, social work students, Indigenous Elders, and other community members on files and projects.
More information
Learn more about CLASSIC and the benefits of working with the organization - click on the blue button below to download their infographic, or the green button to visit the website.
Faculty
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Sarah Buhler, Associate Professor
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