The West coast of Canada in the province of British Columbia has a very dynamic and effective social justice sector. Amongst the various organizations centered in the province is West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF), which describe themselves as the only organization in BC that uses the law to further women’s equality. They work to end discrimination against women using equality rights litigation, law reform, and public legal education.
To find out more about the organization, what they do and how young lawyers can pursue their social justice career goals I recently spoke to Kasari Govender, executive director of West Coast LEAF who was more than happy to share the mission of her organization while encouraging legal professionals and law students to pursue their public interest law dreams.
West Coast LEAF was started in 1985 with the vision that women are full participants in the social, economic, and political activities of the nation. They strive to create a society in which differences are respected and supported by the law, and by social and institutional policies and practices. According to their web site, in order to do this,
We work to achieve equality by intervening in strategic test cases that protect or advance Charter and human rights. Our law reform initiatives track legislation affecting the legal rights of women, and we engage with government on related issues. We also deliver public legal education workshops that train people on legal tools and strategies, and we deliver peer-to-peer training for young people on consent, safe relationships, and workplace rights.
Their Executive Director further elaborated on this in explaining that they “Don’t always work with other organizations but will if the issues are critical to their ultimate mandate.” Often, lawyers will call them if they think their case involves inequality and want information to confirm or elaborate on this. In addition, lawyers call them to say that West Coast LEAF should intervene and they will look at the case to see if it makes sense for them to get involved. They definitely will get involved in big name cases if they see it as furthering their mandate of promoting and protecting women’s rights.
One of the great things about West Coast LEAF is that law students are involved in a big way in what they do. For example they work with Pro Bono Students Canada and engage two students each semester part time for 4-5 hours a month. One of the things these students do is review cases and look at summaries of all tribunals in BC and decide if it makes sense for West Coast LEAF to explore and get involved, and this is just part of their extensive involvement with law students.
Govender herself is a brilliant example of what hard work and thinking outside the box can do for somebody truly dedicated to working in progressive, public interest law. After graduating from the University of Victoria Law School and clerking at the BC Supreme Court, she set her mind on pursuing a career in Equality Rights law as defined in Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and to do that, she studied as many of the Section 15 cases as she could find to see which lawyers were involved in this type of litigation. In all this research, one name consistently came up, that of renowned constitutional lawyer Mary Eberts. With this knowledge she directly applied to Eberts firm where she articled and then worked as Eberts assistant. To me this is a brilliant yet little thought of idea and one more law students should pursue. “Ask yourself the question “If I could practice any type of law, what would it be?”” elaborates Govender. “Once you decide on what type of law you want to practice, research who is involved in that field and find somebody who does amazing work and get in touch with them. Ask them out for coffee. Look for a mentor. Take advantage of these people.”
“It’s all about relationships” she continues. She stresses that when you commit to whatever type of law you are interested in, make sure you follow through. “You do set your reputation early so follow through with your commitments. It’s a small community so your commitment is key as this is how you build your reputation within such a close knit group. Nobody wants to hire somebody who is not truly committed and reliable.” “Get involved in organizations in law school with areas of law that you are interested in. The social justice community is small so get involved early and really expose yourself to these areas of law.” This will help you decide on what you truly want to do and also build up your reputation and contacts in whatever progressive legal field you are interested in.
When we talked about the differences between working in public interest law and working in a private firm, she offered some realistic and sage advice. “There are not many articling positions available but it is growing. Don’t expect to do this type of law right off the bat. The key thing is to decide what you are willing to sacrifice. You will be working for substantially less in the social justice world but there is plenty of work and you can do it.”
Another key thing is to make sure you take the time and effort to separate your professional and personal life. “It’s a challenging issue. For social justice lawyers their work is a part of their values so they are working their values. It’s a big conversation. You have to respect each others boundaries and avoid burning out. A lot is depending on you in this type of work so it is tough as there are often little resources to back you up. But you must remember that you are not doing this alone and the world is not resting on your shoulders. It doesn’t do the movement any good if you are all burned out so you have to remember to live your values and be compassionate to yourself and your family and friends.”
At the end of the day, social justice work is both personally and professionally rewarding which is why people want to practice this type of law. And the exposure you get to other lawyers is hard to find elsewhere. “In my work at West Coast LEAF, both as legal director and executive director I have worked with incredible lawyer volunteers who are the top of the bar. They are often co-counsel in litigation that we are involved in and they are incredible to work with. And we have amazing, highly respected lawyers on our board. In addition we also usually convene a legal sub group on a per case basis that is loaded with expertise in this area of litigation. They often are looking at the big picture implications of what the litigation can mean I find this incredibly exciting.”
In speaking with Govender it is clear, like so many of my conversations with other lawyers involved in progressive social justice issues that they are doing this work, not for the money, not for the prestige but for the passion in making a true, concrete difference in society. And the best part of our conversation was both the pride she has in her organization and the local social justice community as well as the utmost faith that if anybody wants to practice this type of law the possibilities and opportunities are as big as the commitment you put into them. Kasari Govender and her colleagues at West Coast LEAF are just one more stirring example of why law can be an exciting and rewarding career when you truly follow your passion.
For more information on West Coast LEAF please visit their website at http://www.westcoastleaf.org/.
For information on career and internship opportunities visit their career page at http://www.westcoastleaf.org/index.php?pageID=8&parentid=6.
Click here to watch a video about West Coast LEAF.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to Kasari for taking the time to speak to Progressive Lawyer despite her incredibly busy schedule. It was an illuminating conversation.
Until next week!