Regional roots and real-world impact: the Bendigo Clinic experience
Written by James Brandis, Senior Communications and Content Coordinator.
Jane Nicholls (second from left), with her Regional Clinic colleagues
For Jane Nicholls, a Monash Law and Global Studies student who grew up in Apollo Bay, the Regional Clinic in Bendigo with its weekly V-Line commute was not a journey into the unknown. But what she didn’t realise was that this practical experience would ultimately clarify her career direction.
“I’m still not quite sure what I want to do, but certainly after that clinic, I do think that community legal is something that I want to pursue,” Jane said.
Jane joined the Bendigo clinic to gain hands-on experience in the community legal sector and to explore what legal practice looks like outside Melbourne.
“I was really keen to go regional to see what being a practicing lawyer would be like on a day-to-day basis if you were not living in Melbourne,” she said.
“I liked the idea of getting out and going on the train every week and going out to Bendigo.”
The clinic is based at a community legal centre adjacent to the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court. As part of the clinic, students are split into two streams, one focused on infringements and the other generalist. Jane worked in the infringements clinic, helping clients manage fines and request extensions.
“ The students actually ran a lot of the case work, because we just had one supervising lawyer and we were doing a lot of infringement work, trying to get people out of big fines,” she explained.
Every fortnight, all students had the opportunity to shadow duty lawyers at the Magistrates’ Court.
“That was a very hands-on experience that I don’t think you could really get anywhere else,” Jane said.
“I think it’s only in Bendigo at a regional court would you get that opportunity to be so involved.”
The experience deepened Jane’s understanding of the lawyer-client relationship, especially in sensitive areas like family violence.
“It’s quite a therapeutical approach that you have to take,” she said.
“That was a whole side of lawyering that I hadn’t seen before and that I can see myself doing.”
Beyond the legal work, the clinic fostered strong peer connections through the necessity of train travel and shared accommodation.
“We spent 14 weeks in a row all staying at the Shamrock Hotel on Parma Night,” Jane laughed.
“We would have lots of debriefs on the train on the way home. It was a really good bonding experience.”
Jane described the clinic as clarifying her interest in community law.
“It kind of confirmed for me what I suspected, that community legal as a career plan is definitely for me.”
“ I think that it’s really important to have this clinic because it’s the only regional clinic that exists within the Monash Law Clinics. It’s valuable in terms of getting practical hands-on experience with dealing with clients,” she said.
“It’s also very important for learning how to interact with clients from a trauma informed perspective. Having the opportunity to make client relationships is really invaluable.”
From the client’s perspective, Jane saw firsthand the impact of student support.
“Every interaction I had with a client, they communicated their gratitude,” she said.
“You could really tell that it was helping.”