Sixteen Osgoode law students are wrapping up a busy semester where they provided legal support to sponsors of Syrian refugees.
Above: From left to right: Pierre-André Thériault (course co-instructor); Jennifer Lee, Shirley Lam, Giselle Shareei; Philip Kariam; Chelsea Caldwell; Emily Lewsen; Matthew C. Smith; Elise Mercier; Giancarlo Volpe; Katrina Gower; Joshua Patlik; Maxym Artemenko; Isabelle Owston. Absent: Kimberly Byers; Yusuf Buttar; and, Andrea Sobko
Through regular legal clinics organized by Lifeline Syria and the Refugee Sponsorship Support Program (RSSP), the students were matched with Toronto-based pro bono lawyers and helped to complete the refugee applications of over 200 Syrian refugees.
Osgoode student Emily Lewsen and lawyer Cizan Suliman
“This was a fantastic opportunity for students to not only gain practical experience with real-life clients, but also help in a meaningful way people who find themselves in often vulnerable and desperate situations. Beyond the student experience, the initiative is a wonderful example of a law school, lawyers and the broader community coming together to respond to a humanitarian crisis”, said Pierre-André Thériault, a Toronto-based lawyer, PhD student and co-instructor of the Refugee Sponsorship Support Seminar at Osgoode.
Above: From left, Lawyer Alessia Kalish with Osgoode student Giancarlo Volpe
“The RSSP directed reading course provided valuable learning on many fronts and allowed me to explore refugee law in a more tangible and rewarding way than compared to learning done only within a classroom. I believe that the lessons learned from my RSSP experience will serve me well as I aspire to become a refugee lawyer in the future, beyond the specific contexts of private sponsorship or the Syrian refugee crisis”, said Jennifer Lee, a second-year JD student at Osgoode.
To learn more about other York-wide efforts building on the University’s leading engagements in the field and in the academy amidst the global refugee crisis, visit York University’s Syria Response and Refugee Initiative .