Canadian Lawyer 4Students

was a social worker but last fall, she em- barked on a new career in law, thanks to a pilot program aimed at encourag- ing a greater number of University of Manitoba Faculty of Law graduates to choose to set up practices in rural and/ or northern communities. Th e Forgivable Loan Program is M long-time resident of Th ompson, northern Manitoba's largest community (with a population of about 13,000). Until last year, the 33-year-old argaret Hillick is a "It is a real challenge where there is only one lawyer in a community, fi es is the aging population of lawyers in practice in rural and northern areas. "Th at will make the problem of lawyer shortages in these areas even more acute if we don't take action," he says. "Lawyers do come from time to time to practise in these communities, but tend not to stay. Josh Weinstein, president of the Another issue that Fineblit identi- " " a joint venture of the Law Society of Manitoba, the Manitoba Bar Associa- tion, and the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law. Under the terms of the program, the three partners in the ini- tiative have agreed to lend $25,000 per year to law students willing to commit to working in rural/northern Manitoba for a minimum fi ve years aſt er gradua- tion. "We forgive the loan at the rate of 20 per cent a year over fi ve years as long as the loan recipient stays in practice in a rural or northern community for at least fi ve years," says Allan Fineblit, chief executive offi cer of the Law So- ciety of Manitoba. "If the lawyer leaves the practice before fi ve years, he would have to pay back whatever portion of the loan still owing. scribes the initiative as "an exciting new program" that demonstrates once again how well the diff erent legal bodies in the province work together on issues of im- port to Manitobans. Th e shortage of doctors in rural and Law school dean Lorna Turnbull de- " northern Manitoba and the diffi culties of recruitment and retention have generat- ed reams of publicity over the years and have largely overshadowed a similar situ- ation with lawyers in those same com- munities. Fineblit notes that while there are currently 1,700 lawyers in practice in Winnipeg, there are only 250 in the entire rest of the province. Th at includes 80 in Brandon (population near 50,000), Manitoba's second-largest city, and 60 lawyers across all of northern Manitoba. Manitoba Bar Association, also referred to the fl uidity of lawyers in rural and northern communities. "Th e big need in Th ompson is for criminal lawyers and those practising family law, serves. "It is diffi cult to take a vacation or maternity leave if you have no one to cover for you. " Fineblit ob- school as an endurance race. "It was an adjustment returning to school, says. "Th ere was a lot more reading than I anticipated. But I enjoyed it. It was interesting. But everyone was helpful and approachable. Hillick describes her fi rst year in law " she Hillick worked for Mayer Dearman & Pellizzaro, a local Th ompson law fi rm. Th at kind of summer placement is also important to the success of the initiative, so much so that the Manitoba Bar Asso- ciation is paying a signifi cant portion of Hillick's summer salary as its contribu- tion to the program. Fineblit points out that many of the " Over the summer, "Th ere are a reasonable number of law- yers in Th ompson dealing with wills and real estate." Hillick would seem to be just what Th ompson's legal community needs. She " he says. says she is interested in practising family law, a fi eld in which she could apply many of the skills she gained as a social worker. Hillick had considered pursuing a career in law for some time but, living in Th omp- son and being a mother of two young children, felt it would have been diffi cult to manage fi nancially. Hillick heard about the loan program last year and applied. "I thought it would be a fantastic opportu- nity, to recruiting law students living in rural and northern parts of the province. "Cost of living is a factor in addition to tuition," he points out. "And, in a case such as Mar- garet Hillick' " she says. Fineblit also notes the impediments there would be the need to maintain two households. the loan money. Th e loan itself is to cov- er cost of living expenses for a student's three years of law school. Tuition is covered through bursaries and scholar- ships arranged through the University of Manitoba. Th e law school is respon- sible for recruiting the students who qualify for the forgivable loan initiative and ensuring there is space for them in the program. Fineblit says the law society provides " s, where family is involved, students from outside Winnipeg, who are enrolled in law at the University of Manitoba, fi nd summer jobs with law fi rms in Winnipeg and end up staying in the city aſt er graduation. "Margaret Hillick is a great student who wants to return to practise law in her home com- munity aſt er graduation," says Fineblit. "She did well in fi rst year and shouldn't have any trouble fi nding a job when she graduates." Hillick adds that she has strong con- nections in Th ompson with family and friends there. "I like the north," she says. "I think that it's important when you're from the north that you give back to the community that helped make you the person you are. is also encouraging recent law school graduates to consider articling outside of Winnipeg. Th is year, he reports, a re- cord 20 students, representing one-fi ſt h of the class, will get their work experi- ence in rural areas. Th e previous high was 12. Fineblit reports that the sponsors of Fineblit notes that the law society " the forgivable loan initiative are now recruiting for the next cohort. Th e plan, he says, is to increase the number of students in the pilot program to four. "We don't want to go too big, He points out that the law society will be paying out $100,000 a year once the program reaches that level. "It has to be aff ordable, " he says. the program works, we don't get paid back, which is what we want." s " he says. "If C ANADIAN Lawyer 4STUDENTS Fall 2012 39 *

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