On April 10, the prominent law school announced the establishment of its Osgoode Access to Justice (A2J) Fund — an initiative to finance both a research fellowship at the Law Commission of Ontario (LCO) and internships that will provide “hands-on opportunities for Osgoode students.”
A news release notes that the $1-million fund was made possible through a “generous gift” from the Raj Anand and Lesley Valentine-Anand Foundation.
Funding from the foundation was matched by Osgoode Hall, which is a part of York University.
Raj Anand is a veteran Ontario lawyer, adjudicator and mediator who has for more than three decades dealt in human rights, as well as in the areas of civil and administrative litigation. He was once chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission and is current chair of the LCO’s board of governors.
A York University spokesperson confirmed Anand and wife, Lesley, recently established the foundation, which has given support to organizations such as the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario and the South Asian Bar Association.
The news release goes on to highlight the “two key programs” the new fund will support.
One is the LCO research fellowship, which will be open to legal professionals, academics and postdoctoral researchers. Under the fellowship, they will “undertake applied law-reform research at the LCO” and “contribute to public projects and initiatives.”
They will also “engage with Osgoode’s scholarly community” and, when appropriate, mentor Osgoode students — thus “strengthening the connection between legal scholarship, policy development and professional training.”
As for the A2J internships, the fund will provide Osgoode JD students financial support in their pursuit of summer placements in “high-impact” — yet under-resourced — legal environments, such as legal clinics, non-profits and NGOs.
“At a time when many communities continue to face systemic barriers to legal services, this important collaboration between the foundation, Osgoode and the LCO strengthens the connection between research, policy and practice, while supporting the next generation of justice-focused legal professionals,” said LCO executive director Nye Thomas in a statement.
Osgoode Hall dean Trevor Farrow praised the new fund, saying its launch comes at a “critical time for the rule of law.”
“The leadership provided by the Raj Anand and Lesley Valentine-Anand Foundation through this generous gift reflects a shared commitment to access to justice and builds on Osgoode’s longstanding leadership in this area,” said Farrow. “At this critical time for the rule of law and justice, we are delighted to work with the LCO to support important research and to create these valuable opportunities for our students.”
Anand said lawyers “occupy a place of privilege in society.”
“In return, they can make a concrete contribution in both domains by breaking down longstanding obstacles to society’s access to justice,” he said. “I am fortunate to partner with the LCO and Osgoode, two centres of excellence and innovation in access to justice, whose initiative will employ several interrelated strategies toward this end: creation of a new research fellowship at the LCO, and support for student education, mentorship, community engagement and the opportunity to provide access to justice as a future career.”
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