Since 2007, Torys LLP has funded internships for more than 70 Queen’s Law students at a wide variety of international and domestic agencies. With a $250,000 gift this year from the firm and its Queen’s alumni and friends, the Torys Public Interest Summer Internship Awards have been renewed. Scores of future students will have the same opportunity to spend the summer between first- and second-year law developing their legal skills while working for public-interest organizations around the world.
“Torys and our Queen’s Law community are delighted to continue to support this internship program,” says Richard Willoughby, Law’85, a partner with the firm and co-chair of the fundraising committee. “We value the opportunity to assist students in broadening their legal education while at the same time advancing important public interest initiatives.”
Internships have been with such high-profile bodies as the OECD (Paris), the Clinton Foundation (NYC), and the UN High Commission for Human Rights (Geneva) and with smaller local agencies dealing with women’s rights (Tanzania) and legal aid (Guatamala).
Torys award recipient Stephanie Bishop, Law’17, spent the summer of 2015 as a Legal Intern to the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. There, she prepared concept notes, articles and other documents, drafted speeches for the Deputy Secretary General and other high-level officials, and attended meetings of the Security Council. “I was at the centre of the action all the time!” she exclaims.
Bishop’s favourite assignment was preparing for and attending a special meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee in Madrid. Her draft paper analyzing gaps, challenges and best practices regarding criminalization of acts associated with foreign terrorist fighters formed the basis of the final day of discussions. “I cannot describe the satisfaction of watching established professionals, such as the President of Eurojust and an esteemed academic from the Hague Institute, read my paper and nod in agreement.
“I had known for a long time that I wanted to be an international lawyer working in the public interest. Interning at the UN exceeded my expectations, and I am so grateful that the Torys award gave me that opportunity.”
Individual Donors:
- Mike Amm, Law’96
- Anonymous donor
- Tom Bogart, Law’78 & Kathy Tamaki, Law’78
- Derek Flaman, Law’94 & Alyson Goldman, Law’95
- Adam Freedman, Law’09 & Jaclyn Jacobs
- Peter Kalins, Law’94
- Matt Kuchinsky, Law’12
- Phil Symmonds, Law’88
- Les Viner
- Patrice Walch-Watson, Law’91
- Richard Willoughby, Law’85 & Margot Potter (Artsci’84)
- Andrew Shaughnessy, Law’91
- Tom Zverina, Law’99