Windsor Law has developed a reputation as a school with a focus on social justice, says Natalie De Haney-Stewart, and she has returned to her alma mater with a mandate to help it fulfil the promise that reputation entails.

The 2009 LLB graduate started a new job this week as social justice coordinator in the law school’s Career Service Office. The post receives monies from the University’s Strategic Priorities Fund and student fees approved in a 2010 referendum.

“My position will help prepare our students for alternative legal careers,” she says. “I hope to mirror the same resources available to those who pursue a more traditional path.”

A Toronto native, De Haney-Stewart says she was drawn to Windsor Law’s focus on social justice. While a student, she volunteered with Community Legal Aid and the University of Windsor Mediation Service, and served a year as president of the Windsor chapter of the Black Law Students Association.

She says an internship in Africa with the Congolese Initiative for Justice and Peace – as a Windsor Law Social Justice Fellow – helped to redirect her energies.

“I had an interest in human rights issues and women’s issues, but that experience showed me how much work there is to do,” she says. “There is a great need for people trained to help.”

The problem she identifies is that there are few supports offered to law graduates seeking to pursue public interest careers.

“Right now, we’re expecting them to chart their own course,” says De Haney-Stewart. “The students should never feel like they’re out there alone.”

Dean of law Camille Cameron says the expansion of the Career Service Office is in keeping with the school’s commitment to access to justice.

“Students interested in public service, social justice opportunities and other non-traditional paths will benefit from this enhanced service,” Cameron says.