(l-r) Jenilee Guebert (3L), Lindsay Burgess (2L), Prof. Joanna Harrington, Frances Wallace (2L), & Heather Thompson (3L)
This term, four law students gained the opportunity to use their developing legal analysis and legal research skills to assist the province-wide NGO known as the Action Coalition on Human Trafficking in Alberta (ACT Alberta). Under the supervision of Professor Joanna Harrington, the four University of Alberta law students worked on research projects identified by ACT Alberta as being of practical and urgent need in the campaign to curb human trafficking. The four law students earned academic credit as well as work-ready legal skills, with their success in this pilot-project providing the basis for a new "Legal Research Practicum" course to be offered by Professor Harrington to selected students in Winter Term 2015.
"This research project," explains Professor Harrington, "has been a great way for four talented and motivated law students to use their skills to make a contribution of service to the wider community. It also allows law students to see the practical relevance of foundational concepts covered in their constitutional law, criminal law and international law courses, and it takes seriously the Federation of Law Societies of Canada's position that the attainment of problem-solving skills, legal research skills, and written communication skills are necessary skills-competencies for entry and admission to the legal profession. We had weekly meetings covering research techniques, and there were opportunities to develop other skills, including the writing of reporting letters to a client and interviewing an expert via Skype. It was also one of the most enjoyable teaching experiences, working with a great team."
As for the topics covered, second year law student Lindsay Burgess provided ACT Alberta with an analysis of the prospects for prosecutorial success in proceeding against human trafficking under Canadian immigration and criminal law, while third year law student Jenilee Guebert focused on Canadian efforts, and comparable efforts elsewhere, to implement the side agreement to the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime known as the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons. Fellow third-year student Heather Thompson examined the impact of the recent Bedford decision striking down aspects of Canada's prostitution laws on efforts to address human trafficking, while second year law student Frances Wallace, with an interest in the situation faced by victims, examined potential reforms to Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, and in the process, assisted Edmonton lawyer Susan Wood with a real case.
The new Legal Research Practicum course to be offered in Winter 2015 will be similar, and it is structured so as to accommodate the interests of other professors and other organizations in future. "The focus we had for 2014 was a perfect alignment of teaching and research, and reflects the wider interest in cross-sector work, with universities working with the non-governmental sector to translate research results into policy recommendations," explained Harrington, who is part of the international authorship team for the new Routledge Handbook on Transnational Criminal Law. The course also has links to the university's community service-learning initiative and the encouragement of undergraduate research opportunities.
We cannot, however, do this work alone. The Faculty of Law extends its thanks to ACT Alberta for its partnership in the development of this opportunity, and to Susan Wood for her assistance. We also extend our thanks to Professor Benjamin Perrin of the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law, and the author of Invisible Chains: Canada's Underground World of Human Trafficking, for his service as an expert guest speaker. The research project would also like to thank Professor Steven Penney and Professor Peter Carver of the Faculty of the Law for their willingness to assist.