Trans ID Clinic

PBSC’s Trans ID Clinic is run in partnership with the Skipping Stone Foundation and supervising lawyers from Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. Skipping Stone is a Calgary-based not-for-profit whose mission is to support and empower trans and gender diverse youth and their families in the province of Alberta. The Trans ID Clinic provides free legal information, form-filling services, and referrals in a learning space that strives to be trans-positive, non-judgemental, anti-oppressive, and inclusive. Students on this project will assist the supervising lawyers in helping members of the trans community with applications to change names and gender markers on government-issued identification.

If public health orders allow, students will be able to attend clinics in the fall. However, should health measures restrict in person involvement, Skipping Stone and Blakes is introducing a research component to the project for student volunteers. During the fall semester, students will conduct research on topics of need, which have been outlined by Skipping Stone below. Students will decide amongst themselves which research questions they would like to focus on. Students produce a legal memo, to be reviewed by the lawyer supervisor. Upon review, students will create a client-facing resource summarizing the pertinent points in a user-friendly and accessible format. Some examples include creating an infographic, brochure, video or mini guidebook.

Student volunteers on this project are expected to volunteer from October to March (excluding December). PBSC students are expected to volunteer 3-5 hours per week. Additional hours are at the students’ discretion. Overall, all PBSC projects are easily manageable alongside academic demands.

All training for this project is schedule and provided by PBSC Calgary and the organization. This training will take place in September-October, and will not conflict with students’ course schedules.

Skipping Stones and Blake, Cassels & Graydon will lead a mandatory virtual training session. The specific date and time for this session will be determined by the Project Lead, the organization, and the lawyer supervisor. This training will cover:
– Substantive law related to name/gender marker change applications;
– Anti-oppression principles, with a focus on working with trans folks/youth navigating poverty and homelessness;
– What the research projects involve more specifically and how to approach them.

In addition to the training provided by Skipping Stone and Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, the following PBSC training sessions are mandatory to volunteer on this project:
– PBSC Process Overview
– PBSC Ethics and Professional Responsibility Training
– PBSC Anti-Oppression Training
– Westlaw Research Strategies Training

Specific dates and times will be provided once volunteers are placed on their respective projects.

– 3 student volunteers
– 1 project lead
– 1Ls are encouraged to apply
– Given the nature of the communities served, we welcome applications from students who are members of the LGBTQ2+ community or who identify as non-binary or trans
– All student volunteers must demonstrate ongoing and meaningful allyship with the transgender community.

– Identification
– Human Rights
– Family
– Poverty

– Delivery of legal information
– Client interviewing skills
– Legal research and writing skills

– Direct Client Assistance Project
– Public Legal Education
– Research

Applications for the 2023/2024 are currently open! Please fill out the Google Form linked below.