Public Interest Law Careers Guide - volunteering and internships
Volunteering is a very important part of the legal profession. In the absence of adequate funding, many organisations depend on volunteers to help them meet the needs of their clients. Legal aid and community legal centres are a relatively recent development and pro bono work by lawyers has been and continues to be an important part of enabling access to justice for those who can't afford representation.
It widely expected that law students engage in some volunteer work. Volunteering by qualified lawyers is an important part of enabling Community Legal Centres to continue their work, often by supervising undergraduate volunteers.
But volunteering isn't just about having something to write on one's CV. Volunteering is a valuable way to gain experience and find out what fields of law interest you. And most of all, it is a way to help people who need your skills. Volunteer work can be deeply rewarding and bring meaning to your career in general. To learn more about pitching yourself as a volunteer to community legal centres click here.
Internships are another important way for students to help organisations while gaining valuable experience. The organisations listed below will help you start looking.
Volunteering
- Amnesty International
- Association of Employees with a Disability (AED) Legal Centre
- Asylum Seekers Resource Centre
- Australian Earth Laws Alliance
- Barristers Animal Welfare Panel
- Bisexual Alliance
- Environment Defenders Office
- Climate Change and Environmental Law Panel
- Consumer Action Law Centre
- Department of Justice
- Disability Discrimination Legal Service
- Emma House
- Financial Counselling Australia
- Fitzroy Legal Service
- JobWatch
- Lawyers for Animals
- Liberty Victoria
- Melbourne Magistrates' Court
- University of Melbourne Student Union Legal Service
- Office of the Public Advocate
- PILCH
- PLEA
- Refugee and Immigration Legal Centre
- Reprieve
- Social Security Rights Victoria
- Supreme Court of Victoria
- Taxi Driver Legal Service
- Tenants Union of Victoria
- Transgender Victoria
- Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service
- Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby
- Victorian Wind Alliance
- Villamanta Disability Rights Legal Service
- Women's Legal Service Victoria
- Youth Referral and Independent Person Program
Internships
- Alternative Law Journal
- Aurora Project
- Australian Law Reform Commission
- Castan Centre for Human Rights Law
- Department of Premier and Cabinet
- Disability Services Commissioner
- Environment Defenders Office
- Federation of Community Legal Centres
- Legal Services Commissioner
- McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer
- Native Title Services Victoria
- Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel
- Reprieve
- Victoria Law Foundation
- Voiceless