Photo: Jeannette Savoie, Dean Michael Marin, KC, Heather Black, and Dr. Paul Mazerolle.
The future of legal education at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) is brighter after the New Brunswick Law Foundation made a substantial financial commitment of more than $3.25 million.
Dr. Paul J. Mazerolle, UNB president and vice-chancellor, announced the funding at a ceremony at the Law Building in Fredericton on Sept. 6.
"The New Brunswick Law Foundation has been one of our most engaged partners, and I am honoured to announce a development in our partnership that will benefit students, the faculty of law and the people of New Brunswick for years to come," said Mazerolle.
The Law Foundation will provide the UNB Legal Clinic with $2.5 million, the Law Foundation's largest single commitment to date. A further $750,000 will enhance the existing Law Foundation law trust to support the law faculty's moot court program and other student experiential opportunities.
The Law Foundation is also creating a new scholarship fund for New Brunswick Indigenous students valued at $30,000 annually.
"We've named our upcoming fundraising campaign for UNB Law Where Leaders Are Made,'" said Mazerolle.
"It's an apt slogan. For more than 135 years, UNB law faculty and alumni have played key roles in the development of New Brunswick, the Maritime provinces and Canada. But we want to do even more. That's why the centrepiece of our law campaign focuses on becoming Canada's most innovative experiential learning law school," he said.
"We want to enable students to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-life problems and acquire critical skills. The UNB Legal Clinic is the means by which we will do so, and the reason we are here today."
The Legal Clinic was launched in the fall of 2022 as a three-year pilot project with an important early contribution from the Law Foundation, and the latest funding will ensure its continuation.
Directed by an experienced lawyer, third-year students provide free legal representation in vital areas such as housing, social benefits, employment standards and human rights. Students gain valuable experiential learning while providing access to justice to those who might otherwise be unable to afford it.
"It has been remarkably successful, expanding to offer services in other regions of the province and in multiple languages in its first six months of operations," said Mazerolle.
The renewable Indigenous scholarships align with commitments made by UNB, the Law Foundation, and the Law Society of New Brunswick to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action and the goal of increasing the proportion of Indigenous legal representation in New Brunswick.
Since 1982, when it awarded $25,000 in scholarships to UNB law students, the Law Foundation has funded an annual scholarships and bursaries program. This year, it will award $161,000 to UNB law students in addition to the new Indigenous scholarships.
In her remarks, Law Foundation chair Heather Black (BBA'97, LLB'00) noted the Law Foundation's long partnership with UNB. She said effective access to justice requires the Legal Clinic, which not only serves those in need but also teaches practical skills to aspiring lawyers, and that investment in the Legal Aid Clinic was a good return on investment for the Law Foundation in fulfilling its mandate.
The funding allocated for the mooting process is also important.
"The cost of mooting can be a barrier for folks who have the desire and ability but can't bear the cost. The more financial support the mooters have, the bigger the arena in which they can compete and the sharper skills they can develop if they compete on a larger stage," Black said in an interview before the announcement.
She was enthusiastic about the new Indigenous scholarship funding.
"The great thing about that is it's something we can happily support, and it goes so well with everything else at UNB. You can have more Indigenous students be part of the UNB law school family, enrich each other with their experiences and enrich other students' experiences," she said.
"I have had a long relationship as chair and as a graduate of UNB law school, and I have been close to the law school all those years. The students have so much passion and enthusiasm. Taking their perspectives, building their skills and deepening their commitment to the community will make a difference. It will make them great members of our community and do a real service to our province," said Black.
Jeannette Savoie, the clinic's supervising lawyer, said students answered hundreds of enquiries and provided legal assistance to more than 100 clients in the two years since it opened.
"Working in the clinic under supervision enables students to experience for themselves what it is like to meet with prospective clients and strive to meet their needs. The more of this work the students engage in, the better they can appreciate the depth and breadth of legal needs in the community," Savoie said.
"Thanks to the Law Foundation's support, students are getting a street-level view of emerging public needs for legal services that will help them and the firms that employ them in future."
The Law Foundation was created in 1975 to provide grants for law-related activities such as legal aid and legal education including teaching, research, libraries, bursaries and scholarships. Its money comes from interest collected on lawyers' trust accounts.
"For over 50 years, the New Brunswick Law Foundation has been one of UNB Law's most important partners and a major sponsor of legal education and research throughout the province," said Prof. Michael Marin, KC, dean of the faculty of law, who was master of ceremonies for the announcement.
"With today's announcement, the Law Foundation is deepening its commitment to our faculty, this time with long-term funding for the UNB Legal Clinic, experiential learning, and Indigenous scholarships. This investment will improve access to justice and legal education in New Brunswick. We thank the Law Foundation for this major investment and for its ongoing trust in UNB Law."
