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international legal partnerships
Hey 1L, what are you doing with your summer?
FATEMA JIVAJI
Contributor
I, like many first year law students, did not have
any legal experience in any capacity prior to the
first day of Ethical Lawyering. And although
there are so many opportunities at Osgoode
to get involved during the school year, I knew
I had to make my summer count. Something
to challenge me, yet set me apart. It was my
chance to get some legal experience under
my belt. I was confronted with reality when I
realized how limited the jobs in Toronto are. I
applied to the International Legal Partnership
(ILP) with two things in mind:
1) I would get to exercise some of the skills I
gained in 1L
2) I would get to live in the Global South for
a whole summer. I knew that post 1L, a chance
to live in either Asia, Africa or Latin America
would be few and far between.
I decided to go to India. It is a strong developing economy and I would summer with a Nobel
Peace Prize nominated organization. I came out
of my experience with two stories: ‘working in
India’ and ‘living in India’. They both speak to
the ILP experience in general.
Let me start with working in India. I worked
at the Concerned for Working Children (CWC),
an NGO focused on human rights, more specifically child rights advocacy. The first day we
were told where the organization was headed
within their five-year mandate and their areas
of concentration. We were given an array of
potential research topics and were told to pick
the one that most interested us. Though I didn’t
know anything about child rights in India, it
certainly would not be the last time I would be
put in a position where an assignment would be
forwarded to me without my having any prior
knowledge about the topic; I took it as a learning exercise. The organization was excited to
have us. They helped us along the way and
guided us in the right direction. Ultimately, we
got to do some cool stuff. We interviewed many
government agencies and quasi-government
entities on the state of current legislation and its
implementation. Working in India came with its
challenges, namely, navigating the bureaucratic
system, language barriers and understanding
local policy concerns. It became important to
know our own limits and recognize uncontrollable roadblocks such as corruption and a lack
of resources. In the end, it gave me the opportunity to delve into something new and unknown.
I may not use my knowledge about child rights
in my professional career moving forward, but
I will employ many of the practical skills I
gained in my placement. Grappling with new
legislation, looking at policy outcomes, talking
to various stakeholders, drafting reports – these
are all hallmarks of being a lawyer. Enjoying
that experience reinforced that I was in the
right place and pursuing the right profession.
Living in India was the other face of my experience. What drew me to India were the same
things that surprised me - things like the
growth and the rich culture. I had never been
to India before and I looked forward to the cul-
tural invasion. Of course it depends where you
go and how willing you are to make a life for
yourself in the new and unknown, but India
came with some sweet perks. If you have the
travel bug, India’s travel scene is thriving and
flights in and around Asia are affordable. You
can really make use of your weekends and visit
the Taj Mahal, Goan beaches or Nepal. CWC
even allowed us to go to Sri Lanka for a week!
Of course I had relinquished a few of my favorite Canadian staples - Starbucks and drinking
water from the tap. But in return I got so much
more. India is the place of convenience and
abundance. No matter what type of cuisine you
want, you can get it (but nothing really beat the
local homegrown Indian restaurants where a
meal for two cost $1.50). The other ILP fellow
broke his Mac charger and within an hour the
Apple store had delivered him a new one right
to our doorstep. Even without a car, I was the
most mobile I’ve ever been. Arguing with autorickshaws became a daily occurrence.
What it comes down to was that ILP not only
afforded me to stretch my legal mind, but it
provided me soft skills that will be equally
useful in my profession. While on an ILP, you
will learn how to adapt to a new environment,
manage cultural barriers and learn something
about yourself. Acting as counsel for clients
from varied cultures and backgrounds, you’ll
need to be able to interact with them. You’ll
be surprised how your experience hacking it in
Sierra Leone or El Salvador will prepare you
for your future as a lawyer.
York professor released from Egyptian detention
ANQI SHEN
CUP Ontario Bureau Chief
HAMILTON (CUP) — After being held captive for seven weeks in Egypt under no formal
charges, Canadians Tarek Loubani and John
Greyson were released on Saturday, Oct. 5.
However, when they tried to board a plane to
Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday, Oct. 6, the two
were told they could not fly out because they
were on a “stop-list” issued by Egyptian prosecutors.
The stop-list is yet another roadblock in the
Canadians’ two-month struggle to get home
safely.
Loubani is an emergency doctor at Western
University in London, Ont. and Greyson is a
filmmaker and professor at York University in
Toronto. Both were on their way to a Gaza hospital in mid-August when they were detained
tuesday - october 15 - 2013
by Cairo officials. Egyptian officials arrested
them, along with other perceived protestors at
the site, for threatening national security. No
charges were ever laid.
In Canada, news of their captivity prompted
nearly 150,000 people to sign a petition for
their release. Their plight was also a popular
topic at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Canadian filmmakers held a press
conference. Friends and family told the media
the men were simply “in the wrong place at the
wrong time.”
After 31 days in detention, Loubani and Greyson resolved to go on a hunger strike. On Sept.
28, their twelfth day on hunger strike, the two
released a statement confirming that they had
been living in dire conditions: “no phone calls,
little to no exercise, sharing a 3m x 10m cell
with 36 other political prisoners, sleeping like
sardines on concrete with the cockroaches;
sharing a single tap of earthy Nile water.”
Despite the public outcry against their detainment, the Canadians’ were told by Egyptian
officials on Sept. 29 that their detainment
would be extended by 45 days.
On Sept. 29, Prime Minister Harper issued a
statement calling for their immediate release.
The two men were officially released on Oct.
5. Three days prior to their release, Loubani
and Greyson had begun eating again and saw
a doctor.
Canadian Minister of State Lynne Yelich
released a statement on Oct. 5 saying, “We
are facilitating Dr. Loubani and Mr. Greyson’s
departure from Egypt, and Canadian officials
will continue to offer consular services to them
and their families as needed.”
the obiter dicta