Testimonials

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Working at AIW is a fun and rewarding experience. Students begin casework right away and gain hands on experience and training in employment and workers’ compensation law. Our clients are victims of workplace accidents or occupational diseases, or the surviving spouses of victims. Many of our clients face multiple social barriers, including poverty, disability, and English as a second language.

AIW caseworkers receive extensive  training in workers’ compensation law and practice before receiving their first files. However, much of the training is “on the job,” as students will receive their own files right away.

AIW caseworkers are supervised by a staff lawyer at the Industrial Accident Victims Group of Ontario. The staff lawyer consults with the student on case strategy, addresses students’ questions and concerns, and answers legal questions.

In addition to casework, AIW students are encouraged to get involved in IAVGO’s community organizing and law reform work.

Students have said of the AIW experience:

“I have had a fantastic experience with the AIW program so far. It is such a valuable experience to be able to work closely with clients and have carriage of multiple files as a law student. My time at AIW has affirmed my desire to work in a clinic setting throughout my legal career. More importantly, through my exposure to IWA4J’s organizing work, I have seen the limits of the law as a tool for change and the importance of organizing and building community power in creating sustainable change”.

“I have worked at three clinics in law school and I have found AIW to be the most enjoyable experience. The program offers the best range of legal tasks, the clients were all great to work with, and the connection to IWA4J exposes students to other forms of justice outside of the legal realm.”

“I gained a wide variety of practical skills (i.e. drafting documents, hearing prep, communicating with tribunals) and also learned a new area of law that I have come to find very interesting. The IAVGO staff were all incredibly helpful and made for a welcoming work environment.”