D I C T U M
S O C I E T Y
Community Community Legal Legal Centre Centre Volunteering Volunteering When completing a degree in law, it is a
While working on client files, some tasks
great idea to get some experience under
you may be asked to do include drafting
a supervising lawyer during your law
letters/emails for your supervising lawyer.
degree. Being a volunteer paralegal gives
For introverts such as myself, it also forces
you an insight into law that a law degree
you to become comfortable on the phone.
simply does not. If you are not able to
There is regular calls to Centrelink and
secure an internship/clerkship, I would
Fines Victoria to check on the status of a
highly encourage you to volunteer at your
clients file as well as calling up the clients
local community legal centre!
to book appointments.
There is certainly a range of areas in community legal centres. The centre I volunteered at provided Debts (Consumer debts), Fines (Infringements), Social Security (Centrelink and other social security matters), TenancyConsumer rights, Criminal law (summary), Motor vehicle accidents, Employment, Family violence, Family Law, Migration, Victims of Crime (VOCAT), Wills and Power of Attorneys. Even if you have a specific area of law you are interested in, working under a supervising general lawyer will still be a valuable experience.
Working at a community legal centre is great for law students because it pushes you right into the deep end. As a volunteer paralegal, you gain the experience of working with client files from beginning to conclusion with your supervising lawyer enables you to see how cases are handled.
13
