Testimonials
Ansley Simpson
Ansley participated in the Summer Program in 2008 and articled with BOYNECLARKE for the 2009-2010 year. She is currently employed at the firm as an associate lawyer. Through BOYNECLARKE's 2008 Summer Student Program, she worked at Metro Community Housing Association (MCHA), a non-profit organization that provides housing and support services for adults with mental health difficulties. She conducted research and drafted plain language brochures for clients informing them of their legal rights in various situations. She provided advice to the Board of Directors concerning the MCHA By-Laws as well as advising the Executive Director with regards to the Organization’s employment policies. After the Summer Student Program, Ansley continued her involvement with MCHA by serving on the Board of Directors.
When asked about her experience with the BOYNECLARKE Summer Student Program Ansley said that “the organization was so grateful for the work that I was able to do for them and I felt good giving something back to the community. I have a strong interest in social justice and it was very rewarding to provide legal information, which might otherwise be unavailable, to a marginalized group. I also worked closely with those advocating on behalf of persons with mental health difficulties and am now a part of that advocacy at the Board level. The Summer Student Program at BOYNECLARKE offers an experience unique to anything else in the city. You are able to get behind a cause you believe in and work for the benefit of a non-profit organization while still being compensated as an articled clerk and being guaranteed an articling position after graduation. Also, through participating in this program you gain a distinct set of skills that will assist you in articling as well as practice.”
David Parker
Dave participated in the Summer Student Program in 2006 and articled with BOYNECLARKE for the 2007-2008 year. He is currently employed as an associate lawyer with BOYNECLARKE and practices in the area of personal injury.
During the Summer Student Program, David worked for the Brain Injury Association of Nova Scotia (BIANS), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a framework for self-help within Nova Scotia's brain injury community. David assisted in raising awareness and advocating for those suffering with brain injuries in Nova Scotia. As well, he played a key role in organizing the annual BIANS golf tournament.
David continues to participate in the BIANS tournament each year. David is thankful for the experience of working in the non-profit sector and gaining such a unique perspective. “In terms of the program’s value to me personally,” reports David, “it allowed me the opportunity to better understand the challenges and struggles faced by those suffering from brain injuries. It also allowed me to better understand the importance of the role of non-profit organizations in raising awareness and advocating for those in need.”
Robert Miedema
Rob participated in the Summer Program in 2004 and articled with BOYNECLARKE for the 2005-2006 year. He is currently employed as a Partner with BOYNECLARKE. Through BOYNECLARKE's 2004 Summer Student Program, he worked at reachAbility, a charitable non-profit organization in Halifax. reachAbility promotes advocacy for people with disabilities. Rob spent his summer organizing and facilitating workshops on advocacy, converting legislation into plain language, and researching legal issues for the organization. He even participated in their annual golf tournament.
Asked why he chose BOYNECLARKE’s Summer Student Program, Rob said, “Because of the sense of community. That word means more at BOYNECLARKE than at most other law firms. And this experience is unique…Because of the Summer Student Program, a lot of high-quality law students rank BOYNECLARKE high on their list of where they might like to work. It’s a win for the charity, a win for the students, and a win for the firm.” Reflecting on his experience at the Summer Student Program, Rob said, “It broadened my horizons by showing me a different kind of work culture. Until then I had only worked for big companies that had never seemed motivated beyond the bottom line. It was a great eye-opener to see people working for something greater than the dollar and as far as they’re concerned, greater than themselves.” Asked how this experience is likely to impact on his legal career, Rob replied, “You can’t separate the person from the lawyer. The more well-rounded and experienced the lawyer is, the more connected they are to people, and the better their practice is.”
Leah participated in the Summer Student Program in 2003 and articled with Boyne Clarke for the 2004-2005 year. She is currently employed as an associate lawyer with BOYNECLARKE. During the Summer Student Program, Leah worked for Metro Community Housing Association, a charitable non-profit organization that provides housing and support services for persons with mental health difficulties. She conducted research and assisted in advocating for improved disability legislation in Nova Scotia. She notes that the organization’s limited resources would have made it difficult for them to conduct the research in-house, and that the research turned out to be key in helping them to access decision makers. After the Summer Student Program, Leah continued her involvement through the Pro Bono Students of Canada at Dalhousie University. “In terms of the program’s value to me personally,” reports Leah, “it really opened my eyes to the challenges that are not only faced by persons with mental health difficulties, but also the challenges faced by non-profit organizations, and the choices they have to make on how to spend their resources. Although the advocacy piece of what they do is critical, they are not always able to direct their attention in that way.
By serving on the organization’s board of directors, Leah has maintained her connection to Metro Community Housing Association well beyond the Summer Student Program. “In the first year of my career, I was already on the board of directors of a fairly major organization,” she notes. “I’ve gained a lot from this professionally, being involved as a decision maker with a fair amount of responsibility. The Summer Student Program opened my eyes to social consciousness and also gave me a sense of independence that I wouldn’t have gained otherwise. You gain self-confidence which you can actually bring to the firm when you start articling.” Leah served on the Board of Directors for Metro Community Housing Association until 2009. She vacated her position on the board and she has been replaced by Ansley Simpson, an Associate hired from our articling program in June 2010.