Community Legal Centre Volunteering

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When completing a degree in law, it is a great idea to get some experience under a supervising lawyer during your law degree. Being a volunteer paralegal gives you an insight into law that a law degree simply does not. If you are not able to secure an internship/clerkship, I would highly encourage you to volunteer at your local community legal centre!

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. While working on client files, some tasks you may be asked to do include drafting letters/emails for your supervising lawyer. For introverts such as myself, it also forces you to become comfortable on the phone. There is regular calls to Centrelink and Fines Victoria to check on the status of a clients file as well as calling up the clients to book appointments.

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You may also get some more hands on experiences that you may not get in other positions, such as being given the chance to sit in with my supervising lawyer to take notes for the meetings with clients. You may also be invited to attend court with your supervising officer to take notes for the client file. These are invaluable experiences and networking opportunities.

Working with clients of legal community centres requires delicacy and care, as you are working with people who face economic and social disadvantage. There is pride in your work as you are ensuring legal advice is inclusive and accessible regardless of power or income. To anyone looking to get experience at what law is like in the ‘ real world’ or just figuring out if law is really what they want to do; community legal centres are a truly rewarding experience. If you are interested in volunteering at a local legal community centre, search for a legal centre near you on this website

https://www.fclc.org.au/find _ a _ commun

ity_ legal _ centre

“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.