Jennifer Lindstrom: Amplifying the voices of those who need it most

By Jack Pan 06 January 2026

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.

Jennifer Lindstrom still remembers the intensity of her early days at Monash-Oakleigh Legal Service juggling multiple family law matters in the Family Law Assistance Program. Any given day involved assisting clients with urgent recovery orders and watchlist applications, and supporting clients in moments of real crisis. ‘Even if we weren’t solving their whole problem,’ she says, ‘we were helping move things forward one step closer to safety or clarity.’

It was through this work, first as a student and then as a paralegal, that Lindstrom began to see the law not just as a set of rules but as a way to stand beside people when they need it most.

That hands-on experience – hearing the emotion in a client’s voice and helping them tell their story – was a moment of connection that helped Lindstrom find her path not only as a lawyer, but as someone determined to amplify the voices of others.

Lindstrom didn’t always know she wanted to be a lawyer or that she would find her calling in community law. A double-degree student in law and music, she often felt that law school had become dry. ‘By third year, I started wondering what I was doing this for,’ she says. ‘Nothing I was studying felt like it was helping anyone.’

That changed when a friend told her about the Family Law Assistance Program at Monash. Curious, Lindstrom applied. She chose family law because it involved people and she loved working with people.

‘I thought, how can I help amplify somebody’s voice who might not otherwise be heard?’ she says.

That led her to a clinical placement at Monash-Oakleigh Legal Service, where she began to see the law as a tool not just for argument, but for advocacy, collaboration and care.

Lindstrom found herself handling a caseload of eight to 10 clients, preparing for real court appearances, and once attending a conciliation conference to settle a property dispute. It was a high-intensity environment, but one that gave her structure, autonomy and purpose.

‘It was so different from any clerkship or paralegal job,’ she says. ‘At a firm, you do what you’re told. But at the clinic, you’re asked to think: What’s really going on for this person? What referrals do they need? How can we solve this holistically?’

Read more about 50 years of Monash Law Clinics and buy 50 Years / 50 Voices here

Jennifer Lindstrom (2nd from left) celebrates graduation with friends in the Law Library.

Lindstrom thrived. She was supported by supervising lawyers, encouraged to make independent judgements and empowered to trust her instincts. ‘It gave me the confidence that if I didn’t know the answer, I could find it and I wasn’t alone,’ she says. That sense of community would shape not just her practice style, but her values. ‘It taught me the kind of lawyer I wanted to be: collaborative, empathetic, not adversarial.’

It also gave her a sense of belonging among her clients and her peers. ‘The people I met at clinic are now Crown prosecutors, partners, barristers. They’re lifelong friends. We built a community that still supports each other.’ Lindstrom’s career after graduation followed a non-traditional path, rich with exploration and growth. She started by running a project at Monash-Oakleigh Legal Service, then became a judge’s associate in the Supreme Court of Victoria’s Commercial List. It was a detour into the corporate world that broadened her perspective.

‘It was the type of law that didn’t interest me,’ she says. ‘But it taught me a great deal about advocacy, and I made friendships and mentorships I still treasure today.’ The experience helped her understand the inner workings of litigation at a high level, and she remains close with her fellow associates and the judges she worked with. ‘It’s something I always recommend to my students,’ she says. After a year backpacking across Europe, she returned to community law, eventually taking on an Australia Aid project supporting access to justice in Indonesia. ‘I was in awe of the leaders I worked with,’ she says. ‘Their passion and vision were incredible.’ Lindstrom then joined Westjustice, one of Victoria’s largest community legal centres, before taking another sabbatical to hike across Central and South America.

When a position opened up at Monash Law Clinics, Lindstrom hesitated but applied anyway. From a remote island in Ecuador, she submitted her application via phone.

Weeks later, standing on the Galápagos Islands, she got the call: she’d got the job. Today, Lindstrom serves as the Legal Practice Manager and Principal Lawyer at Monash Law Clinics Melbourne and is a senior lecturer at Monash Law. A talented flautist, Lindstrom directs a lunchtime concert series for legal professionals in the Supreme Court of Victoria.

Lindstrom’s full-circle journey reflects a deep commitment to justice and to giving back to the place that started it all.

For Lindstrom, Monash Law Clinics didn’t just shape her career; it showed her what was possible. ‘It gave me space to figure out what kind of lawyer I wanted to be,’ she says. ‘And it taught me that it’s not about you, or me, it’s about the client.’

Today, she reminds her students of the same. ‘I tell them: You’re not in it alone. You have strengths. Your team has strengths. Lean on each other. Work together.’ Her advice to current students?

‘Don’t underestimate the clinic. It’s what you make of it – but it can change everything.’

Read more about 50 years of Monash Law Clinics and buy 50 Years / 50 Voices here

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