Life skills and career tips for Canada's lawyers in training
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50905
McKenna understands the interna- tional experience. Aſt er completing her master's degree at the London School of Economics and Political Science and her law degree at McGill University in Montreal, she worked as a trade policy offi cer at the Department of Foreign Aff airs. She subsequently practised law in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, and Kruger worked in Guinea for Concern Universal, a British non-profi t organiza- tion, before working for the Asia Foun- dation in Bangladesh. He completed a CLA internship in order to gain a better focus on environmental issues. "Climate change is seen diff erently in the devel- oping world," says Kruger, a clerk at the British Columbia Supreme Court and In law school, issues seem very academic. Once you start working with an organization you can see how practical it is to talk about issues like human rights. — Catherine McKenna, Canadian Lawyers Abroad helped draſt maritime legislation as part of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in East Timor. "I like the broad- er context of law," she says. "States have an obligation to intervene to protect the rights of people. It felt amazing to help rebuild a country through the law." Previous experience can be a major factor in securing an internship. Toby articling student at Lawson Lundell LLP in Vancouver. "Understanding the de- veloping world point of view on issues such as preserving water helped me un- derstand environmental law better." Individual schools are getting in on the internship hunt. Th e University of Toronto off ers internships through its In- ternational Human Rights Program. Th e International Law Internship Program at the University of Western Ontario pro- vides internships for 10 to 12 students per year. Founded in 2006, the program aims to expose students to international law while helping them fi nd their area of interest. "We want students to see how di- plomacy and the law work together," says program director Valerie Oosterveld. "Th ey have the chance to work directly with people involved in major interna- tional issues. Most students wouldn't get that chance in Canada." Oosterveld wants the program to be a way for students to begin a career in in- ternational law, a diffi cult fi eld to break into for young lawyers. She entered the fi eld by working for the Department of Foreign Aff airs. During her six-year tenure, she was involved in the estab- lishment of war crimes tribunals for the former Yugoslavia, Sierra Leone, and Rwanda. "Internships open doors," says Oosterveld. "It's more diffi cult to see the path toward a career in international law compared to the path toward Bay At our f irm, you don't work for us, you work with us. Collaborative. Cooperative. Collegial. Untitled-2 1 C ANADIAN Lawyer 4STUDENTS 7/20/10 9:07:37 AM F ALL 2010 9