MEDIA ADVISORY
May 27, 2011
Toronto, ON - Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC), the only national pro bono service organization in the world, is celebrating its 15th anniversary with a gala dinner in Toronto on Thursday, June 2nd, 2011 with The Honourable Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella of the Supreme Court of Canada as the keynote speaker.
PBSC will honour its founder, Ronald J. Daniels, now President of The John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Justice Abella will present PBSC's inaugural achievement award to Ronald J. Daniels, for his vision in founding PBSC as Dean of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.
More than 170 law students, lawyers, judges and academics from across Canada will celebrate PBSC's contribution to increasing access to justice in Canada, by providing free legal services to individuals in need over the past 15 years.
Every year, under the auspices of PBSC, about 1500 law students from all 21 law schools in Canada work with over 400 organizations to provide more than 116,000 hours of pro bono services. Since its founding at U of T in 1996, PBSC has transformed law-school culture and the legal profession. At that time, there were no organized pro bono opportunities in Canada. Today, there are pro bono clearinghouses in Ontario, B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec, and generations of law students have graduated-and continue to graduate- with the recognition that pro bono is the responsibility of every lawyer.
EVENT DETAILS
WHAT: Gala dinner and awards ceremony in celebration of Pro Bono Students Canada's 15th Anniversary
WHEN: Thursday, June 2nd 2011
8:00 p.m -- Keynote and Award Presentation by The Honourable Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella
WHERE: The Intercontinental Yorkville, 220 Bloor Street West, Toronto (Media Registration Required)
For more information or to register for this event, please contact:
Nikki Gershbain
National Director, Pro Bono Students Canada
416-946-0519
nikki.gershbain@probonostudents.ca
www.probonostudents.ca
