“Innocence Canada was one of the main reasons why I decided to go to law school.” Sarvenaz Ghattan-Kashani, Law’23, is speaking about the non-profit organization dedicated to identifying, advocating for, and exonerating individuals convicted of a crime they did not commit. Sharing that dedication, she has helped contribute to the organization’s goals for over three years, most recently as a law student intern.
“I studied neuroscience in undergrad and was interested in the effect of medical and non-medical drugs on human brain and behaviour,” Ghattan-Kashani says. “As I learned more, I quickly noticed the lack of science in the courtrooms. That is when I decided that I wanted to take some actions – however small.”
Through a Google search in 2018, she found Innocence Canada and began volunteering in her Vancouver hometown, organizing an event to raise awareness on the national wrongful conviction day. Her next work in the area took place in the summer of 2020 before she arrived at Queen’s Law. As a research assistant to Dr. Rebecca Helm of the University of Exeter in the U.K., she studied the decision-making process for guilty pleas in children and its role in wrongful convictions. “Once I learned the complications of confessions and decision-making, the decision to intern with Innocence Canada a year later was an easy one,” she says.
During her internship with Innocence Canada last summer, Ghattan-Kashani gained valuable skills as a caseworker and teacher.
Most of her internship was spent working on four active cases and drafting numerous memos. Among her tasks, she spotted inconsistencies in witness testimonies, found avenues of investigation for new evidence, and wrote reports on accused individuals’ lengthy police interviews. “With the help of my mentors I learned how to keep my writing focused on the goal of the report,” she notes about the importance of writing succinctly to cover the main points. “As I begin my career, I believe this will be a crucial skill to develop further.”
As part of the organization’s educational program, she held teaching sessions for high school students to discuss wrongful convictions and justice system issues and answered their questions about the organization’s work, law school, and law in general. She also wrote three video scripts on guilty pleas, forensics, and expert witnesses aimed at helping a broad audience. “I learned to explain complex legal issues in standard terms accessible to high school students and the general public,” she says.
With her mentors’ continuous support to further tailor her writing to meet the audience’s needs, she helped draft teaching materials on gender and tunnel vision that will be presented at different law schools as part of an Innocence Canada course.
“Incredibly fulfilling” is how Ghattan-Kashani describes her internship with Innocence Canada. “The work was hands-on from the start and within a few weeks, I could see the difference in my legal thinking and legal writing. Despite the work being remote, the lawyers always made themselves available for feedback or for a call providing exceptional mentorship.”
They were helpful in another big way, as well. “Reading detailed documents about murders can be emotionally draining,” she explains. “The lawyers and the education manager at Innocence Canada are incredibly understanding of this and taught me ways to deal with overwhelming information. These lessons are invaluable to anyone in the legal profession”
Ghattan-Kashani was one of 14 students whose 2021 summer internship was made possible with a Torys Public Interest Summer Internship Award. “I would like to thank Torys for sponsoring me in this amazing journey,” she says. “Having an unpaid full-time summer job can be difficult as a law student. Their contribution to law students’ growth in this much-needed cause is incredibly meaningful and I hope they continue supporting and helping other students grow.”
For students interested in completing an internship this summer, the Career Development Office is holding an information session on February 14.