The Clinic is housed in a historic home in downtown Fredericton, operating Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Legal Clinic currently offers legal services related to:
750 Brunswick Street,
Fredericton, NB, E3B 1H9
506-452-6313
lawclinic@unb.ca
The UNB Legal Clinic provides free legal services to individuals who cannot afford representation and who do not qualify for legal aid.
The Clinic aims to improve access to justice in the province by filling the gaps in New Brunswick’s legal aid system. A means test similar to that of Legal Aid will determine eligibility. Services are targeted to individuals on income assistance, with no income, or who are making minimum wage and who do not qualify for legal aid.
The Legal Clinic uses three criteria to determine the financial eligibility of potential clients, income, allowable deductions, and household size. The Clinic will determine eligibility based on the scope of service and financial eligibility of the individual. Contact lawclinic@unb.ca for more information.
Bring as much documentation and information about your income and potential deductions as possible. We will also need documentation of your spouse or common-law partner’s income and any dependents.
Useful documentation includes:
The clinic representatives are third year UNB Law students working under the supervision of Jeannette Savoie, a lawyer with 20 years of legal experience which includes 10 years' operating poverty law clinics in the Northwest Territories. This hands-on learning experience allows students to work on actual client files and provides them with a unique opportunity to support the local community.
The Legal Clinic is structured as a 6-credit course open to third-year students. It runs from September to April and then from May to August. Initially, the program will accept a maximum of six students for the 2022-23 academic year, with two students working at the clinic during the summer thanks to the generous MacBeath Fellowship.
Fall clinical placements begin with an intensive orientation, including training in the areas of professional responsibility, practice management, client communication, cultural competence, and trauma-informed lawyering. In late September, students will begin taking clients. They will work on files under the direct supervision of Jeannette Savoie, Supervising Lawyer, per the Law Society requirements relating to student competency to practice law.
Students dedicate between 9 and 12 hours per week to their work at the clinic, covering at least one client intake shift. Students meet with clients both during the workday and in the evenings to ensure the clinic remains accessible to the community.
The Clinic also includes a weekly three-hour in-class session on Friday mornings. This time is dedicated to discussion and reflection and for guest speakers, who will also present on a variety of topics during these sessions.
Students should apply to be part of the Legal Clinic as soon as the Associate Dean’s office puts out a call for applications for Experiential Learning Courses (typically in June).
For the summer student positions, students should submit their applications no later than March. Please check your UNB Email often to ensure that you receive the notifications of when to apply, as deadlines may very slightly from year to year. Application packages include a cover letter, resume, statement of interest and transcripts.
The Legal Clinic is funded through the University as a three-year pilot project. We are seeking further support to expand the program. If you wish to donate, contact the Dean’s Office.
UNB Law would like to recognize the generous support of the New Brunswick Law Foundation (NBLF). Thanks to a $50,000 NBLF grant, the UNB Legal Clinic has hired a Client Development and Community Outreach Coordinator.
This person organizes outreach activities on behalf of the Clinic and acts as a liaison between the Clinic and local partners to facilitate access to justice for low-income individuals throughout New Brunswick.
UNB Law also owes a debt of gratitude to the friends and family of the late Donald A. MacBeath, QC, a distinguished lawyer from Marystown, NL, known for his unwavering commitment to access to justice and remarkable service to his community.
This group generously established the MacBeath Fellowship, an award valued at up to $5,000 that supports students through their summer placements with the Clinic. MacBeath Fellows will carry client files from May to the end of August, handing them over to the next set of clinicians at the start of the fall term.
