by Jocelyn Molnar
I am a recent graduate of the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC. This past year, I worked as an articling student with the CRT.
I had a unique articling experience at the CRT. Unlike working in a private firm with many different clients, I had one client: the CRT! My job as part of the legal team was to help represent the CRT in court and to provide legal advice on the CRT operations.
I greatly enjoyed working with the people who shape how the tribunal operates such as the chair, vice chairs, tribunal members, and executive team. The senior staff members are highly skilled, and many are lawyers with much more legal experience than me. But, I always felt that they were open to my ideas and advice. Even though the CRT isn’t a new tribunal anymore, it is still a “change organization” that’s always looking for innovative ways to improve its services.
I also performed litigation work, related to the CRT’s appearances in court. Sometimes a CRT participant will ask the BC Supreme Court to judicially review a CRT decision. The CRT needs to explain our process to the Court and show what our tribunal member considered when making their decision. I helped prepare pleadings and submissions for proceedings in the BC Supreme Court. I even got to appear at the BC Court of Appeal. I am so grateful I had those opportunities, because that’s how I discovered that I love litigation. It is very engaging, plus it really keeps you on your toes. I had to be prepared for any questions or issues that could come up, which was a great way to gain confidence in my knowledge of administrative law.
Although I felt nervous making the leap from the classroom to the courtroom, by the end of my articling experience, I felt very capable and confident in myself and my work.
As I move on from the CRT, I look forward to checking in with the people who make it such an amazing organization. I am so thankful to the legal team for their guidance, feedback, and commitment to ensuring I had a positive and educational articling experience. I will always be grateful that I got to start out my legal career at the CRT.