This is a joint project between Osgoode Hall, University of Toronto Faculty of Law & Lincoln Alexander School of Law.
Name of Organization: Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (FACL)
Website of Organization: http://on.facl.ca/
Organization's Mandate: FACL is a diverse coalition of Asian Canadian legal professionals who promote equity, justice, and opportunity for Asian Canadian legal professionals and the broader community. FACL fosters advocacy, community involvement, legal scholarship and professional development.
Project Name: Community Outreach Project
Project Type: Public Legal Education (presentations, workshops, podcasts, brochures, blogs, etc.)
Project Delivery: Remote
Description of Project: The Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (FACL) has developed a comprehensive community outreach program aimed at advancing the rights and interests of Asian Canadians within the legal profession and addressing knowledge gaps within the broader Asian community.
This program is designed to create a cohesive and multi-dimensional approach to public legal education, advocacy, and professional development within the Asian legal community. The primary goal is to partner with community organizations and leading members within the Asian legal community to create and disseminate public legal education through presentations, workshops, webinars, social media/blog posts, and plain language resources, as well as podcasts.
The program involves developing materials for presentations, including PowerPoint presentations and pamphlets on various legal topics. Public legal education will be delivered in accessible formats such as webinars, videos, and blog posts. Outreach activities will identify and collaborate with new organizations within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), ensuring that these organizations receive tailored legal education tools, such as wills and estate webinars, to address the specific legal needs of their communities. By working closely with these organizations, the program will create targeted presentations and projects that effectively address community legal needs.
In addition, the program will include a podcast series discussing diverse topics affecting the Asian legal community, providing a platform for dialogue and information sharing. The program will also include assisting with a comprehensive study on statistics related to Asian Canadians in the legal industry, examining aspects such as law school admissions, hiring practices, and career progression within large firms. This research, and other aspects of the program will in turn be used to inform and develop public advocacy positions and help shape future initiatives. Furthermore, the program will build on existing legal information programs relating to access to justice issues and the unique vulnerabilities faced by Asian and migrant sex workers. These efforts are part of a broader initiative to ensure the inclusivity and comprehensiveness of our legal education and advocacy work.
Role of Student Volunteers: Student volunteers will play a crucial role in the success of this program, gaining invaluable experience in community involvement, advocacy, legal scholarship, and professional development. They will conduct in-depth legal research on assigned areas of law to create public legal information tools, including podcasts, presentations, and pamphlets. Volunteers will develop innovative strategies to deliver public legal education materials effectively to community members and will be responsible for compiling a list of organizations within the GTA that need access to legal education. This will involve reaching out to existing partner organizations to assess their needs and identifying new potential organizations through research and outreach efforts. Volunteers will explain FACL's mission and the types of public legal education offered, adding interested organizations to a comprehensive list for the supervising lawyer.
Additionally, student volunteers will participate in the podcast initiative by contributing to topic selection, research, and production, integrating these efforts into the overall public legal education strategy. Volunteers will further support the study on Asian Canadians in the legal industry by assisting in data collection, analysis, and report writing, ensuring that our public advocacy efforts are data-driven and impactful. This work will further be used by students to assist with FACL’s public advocacy initiatives. Students will also continue to build on FACL’s collaboration with the Butterfly Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network by hosting further events and preparing legal information materials in collaboration with Butterfly.
Role of Supervising Lawyer(s): The Supervising Lawyer will oversee the materials submitted by the student and will provide guidance if questions arise. All legal research and public legal education tools created will be reviewed by the lawyer supervisor prior to dissemination to community members and partner organizations. The lawyer supervisor will review each podcast before the podcast is published. The supervising lawyers will ensure each podcast convey objective legal information and are not to be opinion-based reporting or provide legal advice. The lawyer supervisor will review and approve all final deliverables prior to use by partner organizations.
Type of Law: This project is general and may touch upon various areas of law, depending on the needs of the partner organizations.
Main Project Deliverable: Creating produced content (e.g. research memos, brochures, podcasts, etc.)
Number of Student Placements: 3 or more students
Hours per week the student volunteer(s) will be expected to work: 3-5 hours/week
Regular shifts or a flexible schedule: The schedule is flexible but depending on the task assigned, the students will be expected to consult with the Lawyer Supervisor/Partner Organization to establish a due date.
Is there a workspace provided for the student at the Organization: No, project tasks are completed remotely. However, a hybrid model may be implemented if FACL has the capacity to do so.
Devices and technologies the students will be required to have: Internet, computer, Microsoft office suite, cell phone. Preference for an understanding of how to create virtual graphics.
Is there an expectation for the student(s) to be bilingual: Given the population served by FACL, there is a preference for students who speak Asian languages Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, or Cantonese.
Law School Pre-Requisites: N/A
Other Requirements or Expectations: N/A