Social Justice @ UTS Law

Written by Rianne Hamad Vice-President (Social Justice)

Social Justice Portfolio Overview

UTS and the UTS Law Students’ Society prides itself on the torch it holds to the various social justice issues plaguing the law. The Social Justice Portfolio offers a multitude of ways for law students to engage with the principles of justice, and consider the impact of barriers that face minority communities. The intersectionality of social justice and law is a core element of reflection and action throughout the law school experience and beyond.

The Social Justice Conference is a highlight of the Spring Semester. Panellists and Keynote speakers from legal, political and social justice backgrounds address contemporary issues, with discussions driven by student engagement.

Following a successful launch in 2022, Words on Justice: A UTS LSS Social Justice Blog continues into 2023! Social-justice minded and passionate law students stimulate meaning conversations through their well-crafted articles and written contributions. This is the perfect opportunity to voice your concerns and bring a fresh perspective to social justice issues!

The inaugural Juvenile Justice Mentoring Program begins in 2023, and will allow students mentors and young offenders to foster relationships and learn from one another, beyond stereotypical labels. Advocacy is the crux of fostering strong legal skills. If you are interested in connecting with a young person in incarceration and gaining insight into the impact of the justice system, I highly encourage your application to be a Student Mentor in 2023.

Jac

The Justice Action Committee (JAC) applications open in March 2023. This official UTS LSS subcommittee meets fortnightly and is dedicated to assisting the Brennan and Equity Directors and our new Representative positions in the organisation and execution of all the initiatives that fall within the portfolio. The JAC also runs their own initiative, Social Justice Awareness Week.

Brennan Program

The Brennan Justice and Leadership Program runs jointly between the UTS LSS and the UTS Faculty of Law, honouring the central role of social justice at UTS Law.

Leadership through Service (LTS) Hours, and Reflections on Justice (ROJ) Points are achieved through student volunteering, and deep reflection on wide-reaching areas of justice. The program offers initiatives to gain LTS and ROJ such as Justice Talks, Discussion Groups, RASA Week, and the Westmead Arts and Crafts Drive . In 2023, we welcome Brennanite of the Month, which will highlight outstanding student engagement with the program, and the Public Speaking Society x Brennan Program Public Speaking Competition.

Students who take out the award will have this recognised on their AHEG Statement. The program is the only one of its kind across all Australian law schools, and shows UTS Law’s commitment to social justice.

Equity Subsidies and Equitable Schemes

There are a number of equity schemes run by the UTS LSS to assist students experiencing financial difficulty. The Textbook Equity Scheme loans textbooks to students upon proof of financial hardship, and the University Essentials Scheme offers support to students in obtaining resources. This year, we are offering students the opportunity to donate their relevant textbooks to the Textbook Equity Scheme. Equity Subsidies are offered to eligible students for First Year Law Camp, Law Cruise and Law Ball. Applications for these initiatives are shared via UTS LSS social media channels throughout the year!

Equity x Wellbeing Panel

The ALSA award-winning UTS LSS Equity x Wellbeing Panel emphasises the importance of finding a balance and reflecting on your own personal well-being and mental health, especially as a law student. Industry professionals discuss the challenges pertinent to our student community and beyond.

Queer Intervarsity Pride Moot

UTS brought home the UTS LSS x SULS x UNSW

LS Intervarsity Pride Moot in 2022, as honourable Justice Micheal Kirby sat on the bench. This moot provides the opportunity for LGBTQIA+ identifying students to compete in a moot focussed on issues which face their community.

Queer Issues in the Law Panel and Networking Program

Queer Issues in the Law Panel involves discussions and Q&A sessions with industry professionals. The inaugural Queer Networking Program will provide students with the opportunity to connect on a fortnightly basis, and gain insight from industry professionals.

Wom*ns

Women’s Mentoring Program

The Women’s Networking Program expanding to unprecedented levels in 2022. The WMP embraces the representation of women in the legal profession, regardless of race, cultural background, sexual identity or age. The WMP pairs female-identifying students with mentors from a diverse range of corporate and non-corporate legal careers. These mentors provide invaluable insight and advice in navigating barriers as a woman in the legal profession.

Intervarsity Women in Law Panel

The Intervarsity Women in Law Conference is a trilateral conference run by the UTS LSS, SULS, and UNSW LAW SOC. It involves panel discussions and Q&A sessions with female leaders in the legal profession, discussing topics such as barriers to female representation, and the unique experiences of diverse female law students and lawyers.

Disability

Diverse-ability in Practice

Diverse-ability in Practice is a new monthly blog that will display well-crafted written contributions from law students, and professional practitioners about their experience with diverse-ability.

First Nations NAIDOC Week

Each year in Spring Session, the UTS LSS runs a week of initiatives to observe NAIDOC Week. This initiative provides an opportunity for students to reflect on issues of Indigenous justice.

Disabilities in the Law Panel and Networking event TOPIC: Navigating your legal career with diverse-ability

The Disabilities in the Law Panel involves discussions and Q&A sessions with leaders in the legal profession that have first-hand experience of practising with diverse-ability. Topics in 2023 will centre around navigating these issues and unique experiences as law students and law students.

Hi there! My name is Eliza Lo Russo, the Wom*ns Representative to the LSS - which means I’m dedicated to striving to connect and engage female-identifying law students at UTS with opportunities to thrive during their degree and beyond. There are a number of programs and existing resources that might be useful to you.

The Womens Mentoring Program (WMP) pairs female-identifying law students with inspirational female mentors from the legal profession, aiming to foster meaningful connections between women at different stages of their careers. It is the perfect opportunity to ask career-related questions and obtain guidance and direction. You can also join the UTS Gender Equity Ambassador program and contribute to social change through UTS programs by providing input to strategic initiatives, facilitating school outreach workshops and acting as event representatives developing relationships with industry partners. Another great program is the Multicultural Women’s Network at UTS. The Multicultural Women’s Network (MWN) welcomes UTS staff members who identify as a woman and as culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) or who are indigenous (although there is now a separate Indigenous Women’s Network). Also, read up on the UTS Women in Leadership Initiative or watch the UTS panel discussion from 2021 with a panel of leading businesswomen to discuss the ongoing issue of gender equity. Another great place to get involved is the UTS LSS Wom*ns Collective Facebook Group . This will be the place where I’ll share programs and opportunities in UTS and beyond, as well as where you can share resources/ quotes/recommendations.

Please get in touch - my email is women@utslss.com which I check daily. Or if you ever want to chat or get coffee, I’m around for that as well - just shoot me a message via socials!

Postgraduate

Congratulations and an ultra warm welcome to our 2023 Postgraduate Law students!

After a couple of exceptionally challenging years, I hope you are all as excited as we are to start a new year fresh, and to capitalise on all of the opportunities being a UTS Law student has to offer!

I’m Aleksandra (Aleks) Chojnacki , your Postgraduate Representative for 2023. As the Postgraduate Representative, my role is to engage and act as the first point of contact for any concerns, complaints or questions from UTS Postgraduate Law Students.

I’m also in the final year of my Juris Doctor at UTS. What I have found during my time at UTS is that the more connected I was with other students and the more I put myself forward for extracurricular activities, the better my marks got, the closer I felt to the community and the happier I ultimately was. I, therefore, want to use this final year and this representative position meaningfully. I want to assist you all to get involved, to increase accessibility for PG students, and to create even more wonderful opportunities.

As such, I want this welcome to be my first open call for feedback, suggestions and thoughts. Please always feel free to contact me and stay tuned!