Imagine the basement of your rental home floods — belongings, furniture, and floors all water-logged and sustaining major damage — but your landlord refuses to do anything about it.

You know you need legal help but hiring a lawyer is costly and you’re unsure if you can afford it: that’s where Community Legal Aid (CLA) comes in.

“Community Legal Aid is a student-run clinic that offers legal support to low-income individuals and undergraduate students at the University of Windsor,” says Kelly-Anne Johnson, who volunteered with CLA as a law student.

“We help in areas of housing law, criminal law, employment law, family law and other matters.”

For more than 50 years, the partnership between the University of Windsor Faculty of Law and Legal Aid Ontario has provided vital legal services to the community while developing valuable skills in students.

The program was started by law students, one of whom went on to become a judge, to give back to their community. From there it morphed into a more established clinic and has been servicing people in Windsor-Essex ever since.

“Legal assistance is crucial nowadays because hiring a lawyer can be very expensive and navigating the complexities of the legal system can be daunting,” Johnson says.

“Having professional legal representation can help your situation, rather than trying to go at things alone. There are people who genuinely care and want to help.”

Student volunteers receive support from supervising lawyers who are available to answer questions about cases and serve as a reliable resource.

“We’re here to help the most vulnerable members of our community,” says review counsel lawyer Lilian Bahgat.

“We can do that by providing them with free legal services.

“At the same time, we're allowing our law students to learn more about poverty law. And our program, in particular, because we do criminal law, allows them to practise that aspect of it.”

She says CLA is one of the only law clinics in Ontario to accept volunteer law students, seeing about 100 each semester.

“It’s a really nice way for students to get their feet wet and at the same time, we’re able to service more people in our community by having that model,” Bahgat says.

CLA expands its practice to suit the needs of the community.

The clinic launched a satellite office through the International Student Centre to assist with employment and housing advice. It has also expanded its elder law price given Windsor-Essex has one of the highest populations of seniors.

“A lot of folks from Toronto and other areas sold their houses when the market was booming and moved down here to retire,” Bahgat says.

“We’ve seen an uptick in the need for services like wills, powers of attorney issues, long-term care home issues, among others. So, we’ve expanded to accommodate that growing need.”

Law student and CLA volunteer Nicole Anozie called the clinic “revolutionary” as many of the cases involve people who otherwise may not have pursued legal help.

“It gives people a chance to ensure they’re maintaining their rights and understand they do deserve an advocate — you deserve somebody to fight for you, you deserve to get the justice that you need,” she says.

“You’re opening the system to people who would not have had access to it.”

Recently, Anozie had the opportunity to handle a settlement case from start to finish, including hearing preparation and providing support to her client, which further underscored to her the importance of the service.

“It was incredibly rewarding to help get my client the compensation they deserved. I wanted them to understand that while they may not have initially considered pursuing their case, they truly deserved the outcome,” she explains. “Witnessing the entire process unfold and the eventual return despite the barriers reaffirmed my commitment to helping others in similar situations.”

In addition to legal assistance, CLA offers workshops aimed at educating people about their legal rights and general information to help people better navigate the system before they’re met with a legal issue.

A Commitment to Advocacy

Johnson's undergraduate studies in criminology deeply affected her, particularly regarding the faults in the criminal justice system. This fuelled her desire to contribute to meaningful change.

“Specifically, the over-representation of Black and Indigenous women in the system sparked my interest in criminal law, and I knew I wanted to pursue it as a career,” she says.

According to a 2022 Justice Canada report, despite representing about four per cent of the adult population in Canada, nine per cent of offenders either in custody or under community supervision were Black, with Black women making up six per cent of the total female offender population.

Indigenous Peoples account for 28 per cent of all federally incarcerated individuals despite making up about five per cent of the adult population. Fifty per cent of all federal incarcerated women are Indigenous.

With that drive, Johnson joined the Black Future Lawyers program at her university and was connected with mentor Jennifer James (LLB 1997), a UWindsor graduate who spoke highly of the school and its opportunities, particularly CLA.

"I had a very positive experience at Windsor Law and got involved in external learning opportunities, like the Community Legal Aid office and throughout into my third year,” says James.

"The experience provided me with a glimpse into the world of handling clients, conducting meetings, and managing files, which was quite unique.”

James is an adjudicator for the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario and continues to mentor students. She encourages them to expand their perspective and consider law schools beyond the Greater Toronto Area.

“I really resonated with the mission and values of UWindsor,” Johnson says.

Like Johnson, Anozie joined the Black Future Lawyers program while pursuing her undergraduate degree and chose Windsor Law because of its emphasis on social justice and access to justice.

“That's something that I was looking for,” Anozie says. “One of the main reasons I wanted to come to law school was to be an advocate. So to be at a university that puts that first and puts the people first really captivated me.”

From Classroom to Courtroom

Classroom experience paired with the real-world experience from working with the clinic has both students feeling prepared for the next phase of their career journeys.

Johnson notes her law classes often focused on applying legal principles to case facts, and her work at the clinic allowed her to put it into action.

Not only has the experience given her practical skills, she says, it also made her feel more confident communicating with clients.

“Working at CLA has made me feel more comfortable with these interactions, attending court for remands and landlord and tenant board hearings, and engaging with opposing counsel,” she says. “It’s also enhanced my overall study approach. Through tasks like research memos and opinion letters, I've learned to apply legal principles to specific client situations, essentially training myself in practical legal application."

Anozie agrees, saying CLA helped to bridge the gap between theory and practice, preparing her for real-world experience and the commitment required to become a good lawyer.

“These are people’s lives, they are real circumstances, and the impact can be substantial if you’re not putting your all into it,” she explains. “When doing this work, prioritizing the person is key. So yes, I have my studies in the back of my mind, but I’m also ensuring that I have enough time to sit down with my client to understand their case, to see how I can best help them. You need to be dedicated, you know that this is a person's life, and you're going to put in the time that it deserves.”

Both Johnson and Anozie note their time at CLA has fuelled their passion for advocacy and law.

“Knowledge really is power, and volunteering in a role where I can offer legal support or guidance on specific issues is incredibly rewarding. While it may not change somebody’s entire life, but at least in that specific aspect of their life where they feel overwhelmed and unable to navigate alone, I’m there,” Johnson says.

“I have seen how hard it is to have access to the legal system,” Anozie adds. “So being able to be at the forefront and have the knowledge to assist others: that is what I want to do.”

To learn more about Community Legal Aid and its services, visit communitylegalaidwindsor.com.