This summer, the West Coast office has been buzzing with the addition of five law students to our team. These talented students have been building their environmental and Indigenous law skills and understanding by working closely with our experts on live issues in BC and Canada – from researching to contributing to blogs and reports, engaging with clients and community members and more. The lessons flowed both ways thanks to their fresh ideas and insights, making it a truly fruitful summer.
Check out what they had to say about their time with us!
Avishka Lakwijaya
Working at West Coast Environmental Law this summer has brought me a great deal of joy, optimism and hope. Most of my time here has been spent working in the Access to Justice Summary Advice Program. It has been truly empowering to be a part of this program. Conducting intake calls with clients as they navigate through their environmental issues and doing legal research to support lawyers giving them summary legal advice has been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling aspects of my summer.
This work has helped me gain knowledge in a wide range of law including but not limited to environmental, property law, municipal zoning laws, residential tenancy and tort law. I was blown away by the amount of support and mentorship I received from the staff at WCEL, and it strengthened my conviction that a new way of doing legal work is not only possible, but achievable.
As part of my work in the Access to Justice program, I also did research into best practices in access to justice, trauma-informed lawyering and care as framed across different fields. Part of this work involved helping to co-draft a forthcoming blog dreaming up access to justice work, environmental justice and constellations of care. I felt truly grateful to be a part of this work and plan to incorporate and embody the learning in practice as a future lawyer.
Through my research on AI data centres, I have learned the significant impacts of AI developments on the environment. As part of broader work to illustrate why “streamlining” approvals of major industrial projects has significant negative consequences, I did research into projects that the Canadian government framed as being good for the economy but ended up being costly to the environment and the taxpayers.
I also got an opportunity to dive into some of the amazing work the RELAW (Revitalizing Indigenous Law for Land, Air and Water) team is doing. Over the course of the summer, I helped to transcribe several RELAW interviews. I am very grateful for this opportunity as it enabled me to see some tangible ways in which we can see beyond colonial law. Another highlight has been getting to collaboratively paint an access to justice mural! As someone who used to paint a lot as a kid and in high school, I never would have predicted that I would get a chance to paint at a future law job, so I was overjoyed when I was able to contribute to a mural.
Having the opportunity to work with and learn from the other summer students has also been an experience that I will hold dear to my heart. I look forward to continuing to work towards environmental justice and hope that our paths intersect along the way.
Benjamin Foucault
Last summer, I applied to be a summer student at West Coast Environmental Law. Although I wasn’t selected as a candidate, I knew WCEL was a place where my values and passions aligned. Determined to find another way to be involved, I successfully applied to volunteer with WCEL through Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC).
As a PBSC volunteer with the Access to Justice team, I conducted client intake interviews, supported lawyers who provide summary legal advice and drafted a guide to help settlers build meaningful and respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples in BC. The work meant a great deal to me, and I was deeply honoured to receive the PBSC Chief Justice Richard Wagner Award for my leadership and creativity.
When the opportunity arose to reapply for a summer student position, I did so without hesitation and was thrilled to be offered the role. My summer at WCEL has been an extraordinary experience of learning, connection and growth. I’ve developed practical skills in legal research, writing and client engagement, while also being encouraged to bring in my creativity through tasks like graphic illustration and video editing. Some of the most meaningful moments of my summer included helping citizens concerned about the health of a fish habitat with summary advice and reviewing transcripts for the RELAW program, which supports Indigenous law revitalization.
What truly set this experience apart was the environment WCEL cultivates for its students. The team not only invested in my professional development but also created space for me to show up fully as myself. As someone who lives at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities, I’ve rarely felt both safe and celebrated in the workplace. At WCEL, I felt not only safe but also seen, heard and respected. That kind of deeply felt and consistently practiced inclusion is rare, and it made all the difference.
I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside such brilliant people. This summer has shown me what it looks like to practice law with integrity and care. Thank you to everyone at WCEL who made this experience so meaningful.
Chantal Bacchus
This summer marked my first real taste of what it means to actually do law – to think critically about legal tools and strategies, to grapple with complex environmental and Indigenous justice issues, and to begin imagining what kind of lawyer I want to become. My time at West Coast Environmental Law was nothing short of incredible. I was relieved and inspired to discover that the work can be deeply fulfilling, intellectually engaging and profoundly meaningful.
West Coast is a truly special legal organization. From day one, I was struck by the generosity and ingenuity of the staff; everyone here is brimming with knowledge, experience and an unwavering commitment to justice, yet always kind, welcoming and willing to share.
The work I was involved in was varied and exciting: helping develop implementation strategies for unprecedented marine law frameworks, exploring how to fast-track legal change in ways that honour Indigenous collaboration and consent, and crafting new legal arguments to support government climate action. I also had the opportunity to conduct intake calls independently and to follow client files as they progressed through the Access to Justice program.
What stands out most as I reflect on my time with West Coast is how genuinely integrated and value-aligned the organization is. We weren’t just summer interns, observing as we passed through, we were actively brought into the fold and invited to contribute to organizational conversations. Despite being a student, I felt truly heard and valued, and always supported by our principal lawyers. The sense of trust and mutual respect extended across the organization, fostering an environment that made it easy to learn, grow and ask real questions.
I’m so grateful to have cut my teeth in such an inspiring legal space – one that has set a powerful precedent for the kind of law I want to practice, and the kind of lawyer I hope to become. It was a privilege to spend a summer with West Coast Environmental Law, I will carry these lessons with me wherever the road leads next!
Kai Fig Taddei
As a summer student at West Coast in 2024, I didn’t want the summer to end. What a joy it was for me, then, to return to West Coast this summer and once again learn from and alongside so many beautiful human beings. And how bittersweet it is to now say goodbye a second time!
This summer, I worked closely with the Access to Justice (A2J) team; supported two RELAW projects; and did legal research on a wide range of issues, from mining law reform to Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas.
Early on in my work with the A2J team, Jessica Magonet (staff lawyer in the A2J program) joked that she was making me into a “wetland lawyer” and told me that she had, in fact, begun her own career as an “accidental shellfish lawyer.” This is a big part of what I loved about working with the A2J program: each week seemed to bring with it a new opportunity to lose myself in an environmental law issue I knew nothing about. Not only that, but Jess, Shawn and Alida role-modelled the “do-no-further harm, relational approach” of trauma-informed lawyering that I was first introduced to by Myrna McCallum.
My work with the RELAW program humbled and challenged me. I read, re-read and reflected on stories that will stay with me long after I’ve graduated law school. While engaging with Canadian law sometimes forces me to turn off or tune out parts of myself – to narrow my field of vision so that I can engage with laws which are, at times, deeply discriminatory – engaging with these stories not only invited but required me to bring my full self to the work. Having the opportunity to participate, in my own small way, in the work being done by RELAW reaffirmed how meaningful and important this work truly is.
And, of course, I read legislation – the Species at Risk Act, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, the Wildlife Act… I remember thinking, when I first started law school, how I might never be able to concentrate on a piece of legislation long enough to make it all the way through. How far I’ve come!
Last but most definitely not least, I learned so much this summer from my fellow law students: Avishka, Ben, Chantal and Sophie. Thank you for all the kindness and care you showed to me and each other. I cannot wait to see where your law and life journeys take you. 💚
Sophie Harrison
When I was a campaigner at Dogwood, an environmental NGO, before law school, it was getting to interact with West Coast lawyers that first made me seriously consider going to law school myself. It was a beautiful full-circle experience to get to spend my summer working at West Coast alongside such dedicated and caring colleagues.
One highlight of my summer was getting work for West Coast’s environmental legal advice program, putting together public legal education resources to respond to frequently asked questions and providing research assistance to serve summary legal advice clients. West Coast’s Access to Justice program, which provides no-cost summary legal advice to British Columbians facing environmental problems, is truly unique. I think more people should know about it!
I also had the honour of getting to work with West Coast’s RELAW program (Revitalizing Indigenous Law for Land, Air and Water). Having studied the UVic Indigenous Law Research Unit and RELAW methodology in law school, it was an incredible experience to get to see some of the nuts and bolts of how West Coast partners with Indigenous Nations to revitalize their legal orders. My research assistance involved organizing transcripts from community meetings so the RELAW team can eventually synthesize legal principles and present a draft to the community for feedback. I loved how relational the process is. Because the transcription data and legal synthesis ultimately all belong to the Nation, West Coast lawyers are touching base with the community every step of the way.
The West Coast team is so grateful for all the thoughtful legal work the students did this summer, and also for the generous and spirited ways they showed up in the beehive of activities and relationships that bring life to an organization like ours. We wish them all the best!
Top image: Top row (L-R): Sophie Harrison and Benjamin Foucault / Bottom row (L-R): Chantal Bacchus, Kai Fig Taddei and Avishka Lakwijaya