What: Canadian Lawyers Abroad’s “Rights of Spring” cocktail party
Where: SHAMBA Foundation, 48 Yonge St.
When: May 29, 2014
This past Thursday, Canadian Lawyers Abroad threw a cocktail party to mark the charity’s 10th anniversary. Held at the SHAMBA foundation in Toronto, the event attracted new and former members. Guests praised the organization for sending students, through internships and volunteer positions, to do human rights work throughout Canada and around world.
“I started law school three days after returning from rural Africa, where I’d been working to prevent violence against women and children,” Brittany Twiss, executive director of CLA, told the captivated audience of party-goers. “I spent my first year going through the motions, wondering, ‘Is this the right place for me?’ Law school felt so disconnected from the real world.”
Then, she discovered Canadian Lawyers Abroad and, in 2009, entered the group’s internship program. That year, Twiss travelled to Bangkok to help combat the sexual exploitation of children — and the experience renewed her passion for the law. Now, five years later, she oversees the charity and ensures that other students have the same opportunities.
In the end, Twiss said her time at CLA has taught her one central truth: “Even the smallest contribution can have a lasting impact.”
Invite us to your party!