Union-Side Labour & Employment Project

Organization: Industrial Accidents Victims Group of Ontario (IAVGO)

Inactive project

Project Type: legal research and writing; firm tours

Fields of Law: labour and employment law

Positions Available: contact probonostudents.utoronto@gmail.com if you have questions about this project

What is the Union-Side Labour & Employment Project?

The Union-Side Labour and Employment Project launched in 2016 and remains one of the only opportunities for 1Ls to get involved in this exciting area of law. There are two components to the Project: Firm tours and research project.

Students will visit firms and meet with lawyers at some of the leading union-side labour and employment law firms in Toronto, as well as one union.

The research component will be done with the Industrial Accidents Victim’s Group of Ontario (IAVGO), a specialty community legal clinic funded by Legal Aid Ontario. IAVGO is also home to Advocates for Injured Workers, a student clinic to which University of Toronto law students can apply.

This year, Project students will research and produce law reform submissions regarding workers’ compensation in Ontario, under the supervision of lawyers from IAVGO. The law reform submissions will centre on the benefits of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) adopting an identity-based tracking initiative to better serve workers in Ontario.

Students will be expected to contact workers’ compensation boards in other provinces, other Ontario ministries/government agencies, and community organizations to gather information. Students will also be expected to conduct policy research. The first semester will be research based while the second semester will be focused on writing the submission itself.

There are four mandatory meeting dates for the first semester:

  • September 21
  • October 26
  • November 16
  • December 7
  • Dates for the second semester are TBD

*please note that students applying to the Advocates for Injured Workers Clinic are NOT precluded from applying to this project – you can do both!

Deliverables:

Attendance at firm tours/lunch-and-learn events; law reform submission.

Students will be expected to work 3-5 hours weekly.  There will be monthly mandatory meetings.  Students may work out of the IAVGO office at their discretion.

Who can apply?

This project is open only to 1L JD students at U of T Law.  Candidates should have a demonstrated interest in labour and employment law, administrative law, or workers’ compensation.  Interest in policy advocacy and research and writing will also be seen as an asset. 

If you are interested in applying for this project, please submit a General PBSC Application Form.  When describing your interest in this project, please indicate and substantiate your interest in labour and employment law, workers’ rights, workers’ compensation law, and/or policy advocacy.  Please also indicate whether you are available on the dates above (if you are not, please still apply and let us know why you are unavailable).

Applications for this project will be reviewed by the Union-Side Labour & Employment Project coordinators:

Angela Hou and Sara Tatelman