Learning the ropes at Dal Legal Aid

Some of the folks at Dal Legal Aid. (Danny Abriel Photo)

After 15 years, Shawna Hoyte is still passionate about her job. A lawyer with Dalhousie Legal Aid Service, she says she’s blessed to be doing the work she does. 

Ms. Hoyte had originally intended to go into labour law when she graduated from Dal Law School, but her third-year student placement in the Legal Aid student clinic convinced her to do otherwise.

“I fell in love with the work and the clients,” she says, “and the idea of providing legal services as a service, versus law as a business.”

Dalhousie Legal Aid, the inspiration of three first-year law students, opened its doors in 1970.  It is the oldest clinical law program in Canada and the only community law clinic in Nova Scotia. Its mandate was to provide legal services to the low income community, offer real-life educational opportunities for law students and promote community development and law reform. That mandate still stands, and Ms. Hoyte says the legal issues facing clients are much the same as when the service started: “mainly issues of poverty, discrimination, racism.”  

The focus is on accessibility of legal services. The staff of six full-time lawyers and two community legal workers is involved in outreach, community organizing, lobbying and test-case litigation.

“People who work here are really committed and passionate about social justice and have a close connection to the community,” says Ms. Hoyte.

Their track record is impressive. In the past 10 years or so, Dal Legal Aid lawyers have successfully argued cases before the Supreme Court of Canada three times. Legal staff offer advice and representation in the areas of family law, income assistance, tenancies complaints, and criminal matters and provide legal information to a host of community organizations and groups. 

Ms. Hoyte says Dalhousie law students are “an important piece” of the work done at Dal Legal Aid, and play a “huge role” in daily interactions with individuals and the community seeking legal help. There are currently 16 third-year students on a four-month training placement at the law clinic. Some students come because they want to know what practice is about; others because they have an interest in doing social justice work. 

“I’ve learned more here in a couple of months than I did in a couple of years at school,” says third-year law student Matt Kelly. He’s been in court on a regular basis where he is involved primarily in youth criminal defence. Mr. Kelly and other students may also be involved in Family Law, comprising child protection, divorce and custody matters, as well as “poverty law” which can include tenancy complaints and client concerns about income assistance or power rates.

His orientation at Dal Legal Aid included an introduction to the people and services in the North End community where he works. “It’s important to be connected with community,” he says.   

Working at Dal Legal Aid has been eye-opening: “You get exposed to a very different side of Halifax that you wouldn’t see at Dal. You can be very isolated in a university community.”  The downside?  “The biggest drawback is that it’s only for four months,” says Mr. Kelly.