Our approach is designed to help you
while teaching law students how to practice law
No fees
We work entirely on a pro bono basis. We don’t charge fees or ask clients to reimburse us for any of our expenses.
Model
We operate like a law firm and outside service provider, not an internship program.
Students
Our students are all in their third year at the Faculty of Law at The University of Manitoba.
The Clinic is both a teaching clinic and an academic course. The Clinic provides valuable practical experience to students while benefitting clients and the public.
The combination of the number of students involved, manageable case loads, availability of experienced instructors and mentors means that we can and do invest considerable time and energy in client matters and also in individual student feedback and development as a teaching law firm.
Practical orientation
We know our clients are busy. We have deep respect for time management and try to be thoughtful in planning and efficient in our client interactions.
We recognize that people actually have to read and use our work products. To that end:
- We try to be practical in our advice and deliverables, and to bring a business sensibility to every engagement;
- We use plain language and pay considerable attention to document design;
- We create summaries, checklists and other tools as well as traditional legal documents;
- We try to bring the same attention to e-mails and other client communications as we do to work products;
- We work hard to make our communications clear, concise, and informative.
Engagement process
Engagements with you will typically playout as follows:
- We operate during the fall and winter academic terms. The fall term runs from September into early December. The winter term runs from January to May. We will operate during the summer months but with reduced capacity.
- We talk with potential clients, explore their questions, issues, need for assistance, and determine whether we have appropriate expertise, student resources, time and assess how the work fits into the portfolio of other work being done as well as availability of students, instructors, mentors, and make a decision.
- We try to be respectful of time in all we do.
- If we go forward, we ask the client to sign an engagement letter and send us relevant background materials.
- We try to scope and manage work we undertake such that the work will be complete during the academic term or over summer months as applicable.
- We generally work with clients with teams consisting of two law students.
- The instructors are involved in the work, may also participate in client meetings, developing advice, reviewing and editing all work-products and client communications, and drafting documents.
- We often walk clients through draft deliverables, respond to client questions and comments and, when requested will attend and provide presentations if needed to brief boards or board committees about recommendations if needed.
- We ask clients for feedback at the end of the engagement.
Professional responsibility
We operate in accordance with The Law Society of Manitoba rules relating to student legal practice and, as with any law firm in Manitoba, the Law Society’s Code of Professional Conduct.
Matters we may be able to help with
Depending on the nature of your question, the information, assistance, and complexity of the issue you are dealing, students may be able to assist you with a variety of subjects including but not limited to:
| • Aboriginal law • Banking law • Business structures • Boards • CSR / ESG / SDG • Charity / Not-for-Profits • Commercial Transactions • Compliance • Consumer Protection • Consumer Rights • Contracts • Copyright • Corporate Policies • Defamation • Digital Privacy • Disability Rights • Electronic Commerce • Employment law • Entertainment law • Employment Standards • Environmental law • Finance • Governance • Harassment • Human Rights • Immigration | • Income Tax • Independent Contractors • Insurance law • International business law • Intellectual property • Negotiations • Leasing • Legal strategy • Legal Research • Licensing • Loans/Mortgages • Privacy • Product Safety • Property • Real Estate • Regulation • Sale of Goods • Sales Tax • Shareholder Rights • Electronic Commerce • Social Media • Supply Chain • Trade law • Trade Marks • Transactions • Workers Compensation • Workplace Health & Safety • Other Matters |
Matters that we are not be able to help with
We do not provide information or assistance in the following matters:
- Any matter where a client already has or subsequently retains a lawyer;
- Matters involving litigation or disputes with other parties;
- Matters that cannot be completed by the end of the academic term;
- Matters requiring a trust account (e.g. purchase or sale of business, real estate or other conveyance);
- Matters outside the legal jurisdiction of Manitoba;
- Matters involving a conflict of interest;
- Matters involving debt collection;
- Matters involving drafting financial statements or any sort of supporting financial documents upon which others may rely;
- Matters in which instructors or the supervising lawyer of the Law Students may determine that the Law Students cannot properly assist.