BLSACares

BLSACARES

BLSACares is a charitable branch of the Black Law Students' Association of Canada (BLSA Canada) which was established by the 2013-14 national executive. BLSACares expands BLSA Canada's commitment to mentorship and community building initiatives. In its first year, BLSACares was involved in projects in different cities in partnership with a number of non-profit and other community-based organizations as well as in the United States with BLSA Canada's American counterpart, the National Black Law Students Association.

Keep watching this page for details and photos from past events and plans for upcoming initiatives, including scholarship opportunities, book drives and more.

If you are interested in working with BLSACares, please contact Jemmy Erhiaganoma, BLSA Canada Mentorship Representative, at: mentorship@blsacanada.com

MENTORSHIP

The BLSAC believes that mentorship is integral to the promotion of equality. We can all be mentors, helping those a step behind us, and we must all be mentees, learning from those ahead.

Be a Mentor

Becoming a mentor is important for personal and professional development, whether you are an upper-year student or a senior partner. Mentoring a student can be a valuable exercise in self-reflection, an avenue of connection to the younger generation, and an important source of talent for your organization. A strong mentoring relationship can also create a great deal of personal satisfaction, as you assist your protégé in achieving their full potential. This is doubly true for members of visible minorities, who can help their mentees learn strategies to overcome the unique obstacles they may face. Fill out the form below, and our mentoring representative will contact you with more details.

Become a Mentor

Find a Mentor

As a student, a mentor is an invaluable resource. Whether you are a pre-law student or just about to finish articling, it is never too early or too late to find a mentor. Mentors can be anything from a source of LSAT tips, upper-year summaries and prof-specific exam tricks to your personal champion during the OCI or articling hiring processes. There is no better way to discover what area of law is right for you than to talk to a person similar to you who is doing the job you are considering. Mentors can also help you to build the cultural capital necessary to succeed in the OCI process by exposing you to what law is really like. If you want a head start on your legal career, become a BLSAC member and join the mentorship program today.

Find a Mentor

SCHOLARSHIPS

The BLSAC recognizes that the cost of law school is prohibitive to many racialized students. BLSACares has established a scholarship fund to help reduce the financial burden of a legal education.

Apply For a Scholarship

Law school is an extremely expensive endeavor and every bit helps. BLSACares is proud to open scholarship applications to students who self-identify as black and are either a) currently enrolled or who have been accepted into a JD/LLB program at any Canadian law school, or b) have completed a minimum of three years at a recognized university in a program leading to a law degree.

A complete application will include your résumé (2 paes max), and a 1,000 word essay answering this question: If you could revise the Canadian legal curriculum to better address the challenges that Black jurists face in the legal field, which course(s) would you incorporate and why? How might the upcoming generation of legal scholars, Black and non-Black alike, benefit from this curriculum reform?

Application packages are due on February 5, 2020 at 11:59PM EST. The successful applicant will receive a scholarship of $1,000.

Apply Now

Sponsor a Scholarship

Sponsoring a student is an excellent way to support the Black legal community. As we all know, Black people are significantly underrepresented at all levels of the legal profession, from students to senior partners. A donation to the BLSACares scholarship fund is a step in the right direction. Every dollar the BLSAC gives out translates into valuable time spent focusing on schooling and all-important grades, rather than on finances. If you are interested in making a donation, please click the link below and a BLSAC executive will contact you with more information.

Donate Now