"I am the first member of my immediate family to go to university, let alone law school. I have always had a passion for law ever since my first class in grade 11. However, the first time I really felt my legal career take off was when I began working on a Law & Legal Studies degree at Carleton University in the nation’s capital.

As a visible minority, I knew early on in law school that I wanted to make a contribution by advocating for those who do not or cannot advocate for themselves. Osgoode Hall Law School has empowered me to do so through my work with the Community & Legal Aid Services Programme (CLASP) and Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) to help those that need it most. Through CLASP I manage my own case load with my own clients. I get real world experience by attending court to advocate on my clients’ behalf and often need to negotiate with Crowns for the best possible outcome.
With the PBSC ID Clinic, I helped start a clinic in partnership with CLASP that provided services directly to clients by helping them obtain ID that can be crucial to certain services (health care, housing, immigration-related matters).
And finally, with DUKE Law, a project through PBSC at DUKE Heights BIA, I have been able to get involved with the research and drafting of legal information documents as a resource for small and medium businesses who may not know the full extent of their rights.

What I have taken away from all these examples of Experiential Education through my time at Osgoode Hall is that working directly with clients from the community provided them with the assistance that they needed at the time they most needed it. The results that we helped achieve will likely have a positive impact throughout their lives, certainly for the foreseeable future. The experience also simultaneously provided me with many practical, hands-on experiences that are invaluable to my development as a future lawyer.

I am honored to have been a part of these initiatives and will take these experiences with me wherever my legal career next unfolds."

Christoper Dias
Juris Doctor Program
Osgoode Hall Law School