Warren Centre Seminar: Legal Aid and Civil Justice
The Warren Centre for Civil Justice hosted a lunchtime seminar exploring the role of Legal Aid in Australia’s civil justice system.
The seminar examined the place of legal aid in civil litigation and justice in the twenty‑first century, addressing key questions such as the major challenges facing Legal Aid Commissions in the current climate, how self‑represented litigants interact with and challenge established norms in civil jurisdictions, and the role legal aid can play in facilitating alternative dispute resolution.
L to R: Associate Professor Marc Trabsky, Dr Naomi Burstyner and Anthony Levin
The session featured Anthony Levin, Manager and Senior Solicitor at Legal Aid NSW, alongside Associate Professor Marc Trabsky, Deputy Director of the Warren Centre for Civil Justice, and Dr Naomi Burstyner, Lecturer at Monash University. Attendees gained valuable insights into the evolving landscape of legal aid and access to justice in Australia.
L to R: Anthony Levin, Associate Professor Marc Trabsky, and Dr Naomi Burstyner
Event Details
Legal Aid and Civil Justice
Date: Monday 27 April 2026
Time: 11:30am - 12:30pm
Campus: Monash University Moot Court,
15 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton
Speakers
Anthony Levin
Manager & Senior Solicitor, Legal Aid NSW
Anthony Levin is the Manager of the Human Rights Team at Legal Aid NSW where he has worked for nearly two decades. He specialises in intentional torts, police powers, anti-discrimination law and prison health issues, and has given evidence at multiple parliamentary inquiries, including on behalf of National Legal Aid regarding Australia’s Human Rights Framework. In 2024, he was a Finalist for Government Lawyer of the Year and is a two-time recipient of the John Hennessy Legal Scholarship for his research on indigenous healthcare in prison. He has published on human rights issues in legal and academic journals, and his writing has appeared in The Guardian, Men’s Style and other publications. Outside of law, he is the co-host of the multi-award-winning SBS podcast Grave Matters which offers a lighter look at death and dying.
Associate Professor Marc Trabsky
Deputy Director, Warren Centre for Civil Justice
Dr Marc Trabsky is an Associate Professor and Deputy Associate Dean (Academic Staffing) in the Faculty of Law at Monash University. He combines critical theory, socio-legal research and science and technology studies to explore relations between law, technology and death. He was awarded an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellowship (2022-2026) on the socio-legal implications of forensic imaging technology in the twenty-first century.
Dr Naomi Burstyner
Lecturer, Monash University
Naomi Burstyner has researched extensively in the areas of access to justice, including evaluation of the efficacy and efficiency of justice systems and dispute resolution mechanisms. She uses socio-legal empirical methods to explore these areas and has a particular interest in dispute resolution in the context of the coronial jurisdiction. Her research traverses the fields of dispute resolution, legal ethics, health and coronial law. Naomi’s PhD (undertaken at Monash University) focussed on dispute resolution and access to justice in the context of coronial litigation.
Naomi has taught Nationally Accredited (AMDRAS) mediation units, negotiation, legal ethics and commercial law and is currently teaching Principles of Family Law as well as Litigation & Dispute Resolution. Aspects of Naomi’s research and teaching are supported by her significant professional experience as a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner and Advanced AMDRAS Mediator.