When Kyle Smith became a Law student at Western, the last thing he figured to be taught was humility.
But as a volunteer with the faculty’s Community Legal Services (CLS), he has gained not only the practical legal experience he sought, but helped right injustices for some of the more vulnerable people in London and Middlesex County.
Kyle Smith
“I was motivated by the social service aspect of CLS because I spent extensive time in developing nations before I started law school,” says the third-year student. “My experiences in those nations opened my eyes to the needs of vulnerable and marginalized people. My time at CLS, especially the work I do at Salvation Army, increased the detail I know about certain needs as well as the injustices and challenges people overcome, especially within Middlesex County.”
CLS provides free legal advice and representation to members of the London and Middlesex communities, along with Fanshawe College and Western students. Funding comes from Legal Aid Ontario, Fanshawe Students’ Council, University Students’ Council and Faculty of Law. More than 200 students work in the clinic over the course of the academic year under the supervision of three lawyers.
For Smith, being part of CLS wasn’t actually on his legal education radar. His involvement began unconventionally in the middle of his second year.
“There are two very divergent types of lawyers: solicitors and litigators. CLS focuses on litigation, but my interests lie in solicitation so I ignored CLS when I first came,” he says. “In retrospect, I regret that decision because CLS has taught me very valuable skills applicable to any legal practice.”
Smith began working with CLS because the clinic was experimenting with providing intellectual property (IP) solicitor services to clients. With a background in music publishing, he was asked to assist with some music-related IP issues – even being hired by CLS to run the IP files.
“I initially wanted to take part in CLS because it was the only place in the law school where I could utilize and expand my entertainment industry background,” he says. “However, as the summer progressed, I took on a few civil and criminal litigation files. I also helped with the off-site client intakes that CLS does at the Salvation Army Centre of Hope. I discovered I enjoyed the work and the skills were very transferable.”
According to first-year student Christopher Mamo, the hands-on experience is an important part of his well-rounded legal education.
“I wanted to supplement my legal education by gaining practical knowledge through witnessing and handling cases from the introduction of the client all the way until the final court date,” Mamo says. “Being in Law school is a privilege and working at CLS provides me the opportunity to give something back. CLS provides a perfect amalgamation of being able to gain practical experience and, most importantly, the chance to help those in our community gain access to justice.”
Smith agrees he has learned many valuable tacits and hands-on skills at CLS that cannot be replicated in a classroom setting. At the same time, he believes many of the skills he’s learned at CLS should be taught in the classroom.
“Currently, Canadian law schools, not just Western, do not teach these skills in classrooms, so clinics are the only places where students can learn these skills,” says Smith, who’ll be moving to the U.S. after graduation where articling doesn’t exist.
“So, CLS has taught me very valuable and necessary skills that I may not have otherwise received.”
Smith adds the pride he feels comes from the satisfaction he gets when making a difference in someone’s life.
“CLS is quite challenging in a very real way: people entrust us with important aspects of their lives. When I overcome these challenges, I feel more confident in myself. I also acquire a sense of humility when I interact with my clients,” he says. “I cannot think of any class that teaches students confidence and humility.”