Peter A. Allard School of Law University of British ColumbiaDirector (Assistant Professor of Teaching Without Review),Indigenous Community Legal Clinic (ICLC)
The Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia seeks to appoint a full-time Assistant Professor of Teaching Without Review as Director, Indigenous Community Legal Clinic (ICLC).
Term: This is a 1-year appointment under UBC Policy AP4 – Faculty Term Appointments (which requires a term of no more than one year), with an intent to reappoint for a second year at the discretion of the University. The Allard School of Law aims to ensure continuity for the leadership of the ICLC, and encourages applications from individuals who are interested in opportunities to provide leadership in the Clinic beyond this term position (subject to the appointment processes of the university and the Collective Agreement).
Position Summary: This position is an opportunity to provide educational, strategic and organizational leadership in a unique legal and academic setting. The position will, together with other clinic lawyers, be responsible for the day-to-day supervision and mentorship of law students in case file work. More broadly, the position will ensure the academic integrity and coherence of the student experience across the clinical and classroom elements of the clinical program; and, in consultation with stakeholders in the law school and community, help identify objectives, priorities and opportunities that will set the vision and direction of the ICLC for the medium to long term, including the development of an Indigenous service model.
INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY LEGAL CLINIC (ICLC)
The ICLC at the Peter A. Allard School of Law is located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. The ICLC has served the community for over twenty-five years with Allard Law students providing legal services to Indigenous clients under the supervision of staff lawyers. The ICLC’s primary purpose is educational: to provide law students with an opportunity to use their substantive understanding of law in a clinical setting. This clinical setting allows students to gain practice skills along with a deeper understanding of professional ethics and professional responsibility. Students who participate in the clinic often speak of it as a highlight of their legal education and a formative experience in learning about themselves, the community and the practice of law.
A complementary objective of the program is to promote access to justice for an underserved population. The ICLC offers to the Indigenous community information, referral and on-site and remote access to legal services. The ICLC seeks to provide comprehensive legal services, including cases involving criminal, civil, family, administrative, Aboriginal law, and wills and estates. The ICLC aims to provide decolonized legal services to Indigenous clients recognizing that those clients may have a history of trauma including from their interactions with the legal system.
Students (maximum 10 per term) are enrolled to work in the ICLC and to participate in the accompanying graded course component, each term of the academic year. The ICLC is currently supported by two supervising lawyers, an articling student, and by two full-time Legal Assistants/Advocates.
The ICLC is an important programming component of Allard Law Indigenous Legal Studies (ILS), which has attained national and international recognition for the strength of its faculty, staff, students, and graduates. For further information, please consult https://allard.ubc.ca/indigenous-legal-studies.
The University of British Columbia has identified strategic priorities around engagement with Canadian Indigenous communities that include providing educational opportunities for Indigenous people and widening opportunities for all students to learn about Indigenous issues and perspectives, and increasing engagement with diverse Indigenous communities and peoples in supportive and productive relationships. Please see https://indigenous.ubc.ca/indigenous-engagement/indigenous-strategic-plan/ .
POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES
Teaching and educational leadership:
• Provide pedagogical oversight across all aspects of the student experience (i.e., supervised legal work, classroom reflection course) to ensure quality, coherence and consistency in the educational program of the clinic.
• In coordination with other ICLC staff and faculty, provide an orientation for students enrolled in the ICLC at the beginning of each semester.
• Provide students with a deeper understanding of the complex challenges Indigenous clients face in the legal system and of their ethical and professional obligations representing these clients.
• Support the academic components of the program as needed, to integrate the academic and file work of the students and assess what improvements may be required for the student experience based on feedback.
In addition, depending on experience, interest and capacity, the successful candidate may teach the classroom course on decolonizing and Indigenizing legal practice associated with the ICLC clinical program.
Organizational and strategic leadership:
• Together with Allard Law’s senior leadership team, represent the ICLC to funding bodies and draft reports and presentations.
• Cultivate and support an effective team environment across supervising lawyers and ICLC staff.
• Develop an Indigenous service model for the ICLC, along with implementation plans.
• In coordination with the law school’s senior leadership and in consultation with stakeholders in the law school and community, help identify objectives, priorities and opportunities to establish the longer-term vision and direction of the ICLC.
• Build relationships between Indigenous communities in British Columbia and the ICLC.
• Provide oversight for the office management and day-to-day administration of the ICLC.
Legal supervision:
• In coordination with the Legal Services Director, oversee all aspects of student work on client files as needed, maintain a moderate file load, and provide on-going mentorship for students.
• Address ethical and file management issues.
• Provide legal advice to assist students to prepare for negotiations and mediation.
QUALIFICATIONS
The successful candidate will have civil, family or criminal litigation experience be admitted as a practicing member of the Law Society of British Columbia or eligible to be admitted (minimum 5-year call), have no practice restrictions, and meet the Law Society of British Columbia’s criteria for the supervision of articling students. A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience is required. Applicants should have experience or interest in teaching and mentoring law students in supervisory and classroom settings, and experience or interest in Indigenous and decolonial pedagogical approaches.
All applicants should be familiar with and sensitive to the special needs of the Indigenous community served by the ICLC. In particular, the successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to serve Indigenous clients who have experienced past and ongoing trauma and intergenerational injustice, including within the legal system, and must be familiar with and have the necessary skills and experience for successful trauma-informed and decolonized approach to legal practice. A preference will be given to candidates who, by reason of their Indigenous identity, have knowledge of and previous success working with and representing Indigenous individuals, in addition to knowledge of and experience working with matters related to the Indian Act and its administration. Candidates must be able to work effectively in and contribute to a team setting. The anticipated start date for this position is no later than April 15, 2023 with the precise start date to be established through negotiation with the successful candidate.
Due to the nature of the work and the clients served, preference will be given to Indigenous candidates with the objective of “the amelioration of conditions of disadvantaged individuals or groups who are disadvantaged because of Indigenous identity” (BC Human Rights Code, s. 42(1)(a)).
WHO WE ARE
The Peter A. Allard School of Law, one of Canada's leading law schools, is committed to excellence in legal education and research. As part of an outstanding public university, situated on traditional, ancestral and unceded Musqueam lands in one of the most open, diverse and beautiful places in the world, we offer an inspiring environment that combines rigorous professional legal education with an awareness of the role of law in society and a commitment to the rule of law and access to justice.
Further information about the Allard School of Law can be found at: http://www.allard.ubc.ca.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Applicants should submit electronically: a cover letter summarizing qualifications and interest in the position; a detailed curriculum vitae; and the names and contact information of three references by 4 p.m. Pacific on November 15, 2022; applications will be considered on a rolling basis. The committee will be reviewing applications as they arrive; early applications are encouraged. Applications should be submitted to:
Catalina Policzer
Peter A. Allard School of Law 1822 East Mall
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1
e-mail: hr@allard.ubc.ca
For further information on the position or the Indigenous Community Legal Clinic, please contact Allard Law's Director of Experiential Learning, Professor Nikos Harris, KC (nharris@allard.ubc.ca); or the Indigenous Legal Studies Director, Professor Gordon Christie (christie@allard.ubc.ca).
The University of British Columbia hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. The Allard School of Law is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from visible minority group members, women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups, and others who may contribute to further diversification of ideas. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
