By Latania Christie
To say that I am satisfied with my experience as a student at the Osgoode Mediation Clinic would be a gross understatement. My academic experience through the intensive program and continuing as a summer student genuinely exceeded my expectations of experiential learning. The Osgoode Mediation Intensive Program offers students the remarkable opportunity of learning about the theories of mediation, in addition to providing students with opportunities to be active participants in noting how those theories play out in a court setting. The clinic directors have extensive knowledge in the field and are well familiarized with community partners and resources. This offers students ample opportunities to explore their own interests and run with their own ideas. This was the greatest feature of the clinic in my experience.
A key advantage of being a student in the program is the opportunity to conduct mediations at the Small Claims Court, which I conducted in Brampton. I experienced an extremely welcoming attitude from court staff from the beginning of the school year, which continued throughout my summer term. This piece positively impacts the student program because it creates a safe place for students to practice what they learn in the classroom, while also creating a safe place for litigants to learn about the possibilities of mediation. This ultimately benefits the entire court ecosystem.
During these court days, students are paired with veteran mediators who act as coaches to offer support and guidance for students. I found it easy to build rapport with my coaches, and I utilized the time between mediations to learn about their experiences in the field. During the summer, I attended court on my own and conducted mediations without a coach. I can see where I have developed professionally not only as a mediator but also as an advocate due to my experience in the program. I’m now able to easily navigate the court and confidently communicate with court staff and litigants. I’ve developed my own style of conducting mediations, and I’m more aware of some of the limitations faced by members of the public when accessing legal services. Identifying these issues has influenced my own research and impacted in my contributions to the clinic.
A developing area of interest of mine is technology and innovation in the law—particularly, how the use of technology and innovation can aid in alleviating access to justice issues. This theme is addressed in the seminar as a component to the academic program, yet the clinic directors have both completed and continue to work on numerous projects that advance this cause. I found this theme strongly embedded within the culture of the clinic.
During the summer I was assigned the project of researching and recommending document automation software for use in the clinic. When conducting my tasks, I was able to draw from skills acquired prior to attending law school, as well as using skills and resources developed in law school. Obtaining document automation software for the clinic results in improving the flow of work and efficiently managing knowledge within the clinic. As the new school year unfolds, I am excited to see how the incoming students will interact with the software and how the operations of the clinic will change. Further, with the culture of openness to technology and innovation at the clinic, I am excited about the future opportunities for researching and obtaining additional legal software.
As a student working at the clinic I conducted intake interviews with potential clients who wished to participate in mediations at the clinic, but, due to their location or mobility issues, they were unable to visit the office. If the clinic extends its services to offer electronic mediations, it would certainly aid in bridging the access to justice gap for these potential clients. At the moment these are just ideas that I consider; however, I believe that the OMC is the perfect place for students to have these types of thoughts and discussions. As new students participate in the program annually, it will be exciting to see how former ideas and discussions transition into realities.