In a few exceptional cases, a student may be given permission to pursue a research topic of his or her own choice under the supervision of a faculty member. Students who participate in this programme are expected to endeavour to prepare or help in the preparation of an article for publication that is based on their summer research. International Human Rights Law Summer Internship Programme Students in any year of law school who are interested in pursuing practical application of the law to international human rights problems may apply to this programme which places appropriately qualified students in organizations abroad, usually in a developing country. For further information, refer to the Programmes section. A large number of law firms across Canada and New York and Boston are interested in hiring Faculty of Law students as summer interns following their second and, in some cases, their first year of law school.
Most firms offer extremely attractive salaries and benefits to their summer students.
Increasingly, corporations seek law students to spend the summer working in their legal department. This programme gives students enrolled at the Faculty of Law exposure to both private legal practice and public interest legal activity during the summer following their second year of law school. During the practice part of the summer, each student participates fully in the regular summer programme of the sponsoring law firm. During the internship component of the summer, each student works closely with a public interest organization. The public interest organizations selected to participate in the programme represent a wide range of community interests and concerns, including the protection of the environment, the eradication of discrimination against various minority groups, the improvement of the economic and social position of impoverished and handicapped citizens, and the promotion of civil rights and liberties.