“I find it very rewarding to serve prisoners, such a vulnerable and often misunderstood group of individuals.” Those are the words of John Luscombe, Law’20, who is articling with the Queen’s Prison Law Clinic (QPLC). “It is evident that the work we do is so important given that our clients often have nowhere else to turn. They always seem very grateful for the help.” 

With clients in Kingston-area penitentiaries and in the 130km-away Warkworth Institution, his works spans across a wide range of matters relating to prison and parole. That work includes representing clients at Disciplinary Court when they are given an institutional charge, assisting prisoners at their Parole Board hearings, drafting written grievances, and bringing forth human rights complaints. 

Working with the QPLC, the first clinic of its kind in a Canadian law school, provides Luscombe with exceptional opportunities. “When I go into Disciplinary Court at the institutions, I am the one who’s in there arguing my client’s case and making submissions to the court,” explains Luscombe. “When I’m assisting a client at a parole hearing, I’m not observing another lawyer give submissions. Instead, I’m the one who is giving submissions to the board. These are experiences and a level of involvement rarely available to a student completing their articles.” 

As a student, Luscombe also got a lot of hands-on experience working with the Queen’s Business Law Clinic. “I really enjoyed the chance, as a student, to be able to do work that had a real-world impact,” he says. “During my time there, I was able to develop so many skills: meeting with and interviewing clients, managing my own caseload, properly docketing and billing for my time, and learning all of the organizational procedures that go into taking a file from open to close. These skills are applicable across all areas of law.”  

The best part of his QBLC experience, he says, was “being able to help local entrepreneurs at a time when their businesses were just beginning, and they really needed the help and support.”

That experiential learning as a student attracted him to the articling position with the QPLC. “Being a student with the clinics, I was really able to see the importance of pro bono legal work and the positive impact that we are able to have on the community,” he says. 

One big thing that’s different from his law student days is serving clients remotely during a global pandemic. “At the Prison Law Clinic, we are in the unique position where our clients don’t have phone numbers or email addresses that we can reach them at,” he explains. “Prior to the pandemic, we relied very heavily on scheduling in-person visits. When the pandemic hit, the institutions were closed for visits entirely. The clinic had to really adapt and rely more heavily on written correspondence and urging clients to phone us on a regular basis. The whole system for answering the phones and transferring the phone line to one another was overhauled. Parole hearings also moved to being over the phone, which was another change that the QPLC was forced to swiftly adapt to.” 

While visits resumed at the institutions in late September, appointment times are still very limited, and QPLC students and staff continue to work with clients the best they can remotely.  “I think that everyone understands these are uncharted waters,” says Luscombe, “but I’ve been really impressed with how well the Prison Law Clinic has been able to quickly adapt and continue to provide top-notch legal services to our clients.”

The Queen’s Law Clinics gratefully acknowledge the support of Legal Aid Ontario, the Law Foundation of Ontario, Pro Bono Students Canada, the Class of Law’81, the United Way of KFL&A, and alumni, friend, and industry sponsors.