Helen Sawczak: From Oakleigh to the world
50 Years / 50 Voices: Learning law and changing lives is a commemorative volume marking the 50th anniversary of the ongoing Monash Law Clinical Program, a pioneering initiative in clinical legal education undertaken by the Faculty of Law at Monash University. 50 alumni of the Monash Law Clinical Program shared their story with 50 current students of the same program. This is an excerpt from the book.
Read more about 50 years of Monash Law Clinics and buy 50 Years / 50 Voices here
Helen Sawczak’s distinguished career in international commercial law ranging from commercialising post-Soviet industries to her current work building trade and business opportunities in Asia has served as a reminder of the role of Monash Law Clinics in fostering personal growth and exposing students to real legal experience.
Sawczak’s experience within the Monash Law clinical program was with the then Monash-Oakleigh Legal Service (MOLS), where she helped low-income clients access justice in disputes ranging from shoplifting charges to neighbourhood disputes. One case, involving a repeat theft offender, stood out. ‘The textbook told me she’d go to prison,’ Sawczak recalls. ‘But Ross [Hyams] walked me through how we could seek Legal Aid, brief counsel and explore alternative outcomes. That was when I saw how the law actually works – not as a rigid set of rules, but as a tool to negotiate better outcomes.’
‘It was the one subject that made everything real,’ Sawczak says. ‘We weren’t just students reading cases. We had real clients. Real problems. We had to learn how to keep files, manage time and deal with people from all walks of life. And the advice we gave really mattered.’
For Sawczak, this was a tremendous turning point in her life as it was an insight into the real world of legal practice. She was required to learn on her feet and continually adapt to a range of clients, matters and the fast-paced culture of the workplace – compared to university, which provided a somewhat cushioned introduction.
This stark difference between the legal world and Sawczak’s time at Monash Law is further illustrated by her realisation that without clinical training, students ‘could go through five years of law school and never see a blue charge sheet, never touch a conveyancing file, never sit across from a client’.
Sawczak’s experience volunteering with MOLS primed her to grow personally and professionally. While keeping up with regular assignments and lectures, she developed a sense of professional and personal accountability when dealing with client’s stories. In some cases, their freedom was at stake: a little more important compared to her mark on a university results card.
Admission to practice: Helen Sawczak outside the Supreme Court of Victoria with Mary Hannebery.
Read more about 50 years of Monash Law Clinics and buy 50 Years / 50 Voices here
MOLS helped kickstart her pathway into international commercial law. She went on to work in the China practice of MinterEllison in Melbourne, helping Australian companies set up joint ventures in China, and Chinese companies to invest in Australia. She then went on to work with Clifford Chance in London, Kazakhstan and Moscow, navigating the unique legal landscape after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Fluent in Ukrainian and Russian, she found herself advising western investors during a time of massive economic transition. Sawczak then moved into management roles with various Australian companies engaged in Australia–China bilateral trade.
Throughout it all, Sawczak credits her clinic experience for giving her ‘confidence in dealing with people, and a sense of accountability’ which she still uses today in her current role as the NSW government’s Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner for Greater China, based in Shanghai.
Sawczak’s experience at MOLS instilled more than just practical skills – she says she learned the importance of access to justice, especially for those for whom the legal system is a foreign, intimidating and unaffordable space.
‘Most of the clients we saw had nowhere else to go,’ she says. ‘Some didn’t speak English. They didn’t understand the paperwork. But with a bit of help, suddenly they had a shot. That stayed with me. It made me realise that volunteering wasn’t just a good thing to do – it was essential for equitable access to justice.’
It’s a lesson she carried with her around the world. Even as Sawczak’s career moved into high-level international roles, she always made time to give back, and she continues to advocate for the role of law in building fairer societies. Sawczak is also a passionate advocate for gender and cultural diversity and acts as a mentor. She was made a Monash University Fellow in 2018, awarded for her leadership roles in law and business and fostering bilateral relations with China.
Professional Practice is ‘the only unit where you get to be a “baby lawyer”, Sawczak says. ‘You deal with real people, real consequences, and you get to apply your skills in a way that actually helps someone.’
Sawczak also sees clinical education as a solution to some of the disconnection students can feel in modern legal education. ‘Lectures are dry. Essays are done at the last minute. But when you’re working on a client file, you feel a sense of duty. You want to respond to that late email. You want to draft the advice. That’s the kind of engagement we should be fostering.’
When asked what she’d tell her younger self – or a current Monash Law student – Sawczak is clear: ‘Do the clinic. You’ll learn more in those few months than you will in years of lectures. You’ll learn how to listen, how to problem-solve, how to be human in a system that too often forgets to be.’
Read more about 50 years of Monash Law Clinics and buy 50 Years / 50 Voices here
Get involved with Monash Law Clinics
Monash Law Clinics combine legal education with real-world impact, supporting access to justice while equipping students with practical, ethical and professional skills.
If you are a student interested in undertaking a clinical unit as part of your studies, explore the available clinical placements and elective options.
Whether you’re an alum, practitioner or organisation keen to support the clinics through hosting placements, partnerships, volunteering or funding, there’s a way to be involved. To learn more, contact Emily Collard, Industry & Alumni Engagement Manager, at emily.collard@monash.edu.