Help others, help yourself?
Volunteering has been an invaluable experience that has allowed me to really appreciate the law, seeing first-hand how it can help disadvantaged and vulnerable people. I believe that it is the best way to see more of how the law works in action, and a way to get the absolute most out of your first few years of law school!
Ways to get involved in volunteering:
Within the LSS
For example…
Street Law Program
Just Leadership Program
These are programs that are run in partnership with the Monash Law Clinics, or with external organisations, in the areas of social justice and the law. You will be able to experience outreach into the local community and even present community legal education talks to school groups!
Community Legal Centres and Not-for-profit Organisations
For example…
Fitzroy Legal Centre, Moonee Valley Legal Service, Eastern Community CLC, etc.
Jobwatch Employment Legal Centre, Refugee Legal, etc.
My volunteering roles at Moonee Valley Legal Service and Jobwatch Employment Legal Centre involved sitting in appointments that discussed many different areas of law, such as criminal charges, family law and family violence intervention orders. I was able to closely observe lawyers in action, interviewing clients and providing professional advice. Conducting legal research to assist lawyers, drafting letters of correspondence, and providing legal education and outreach to the local community (which aims to educate and empower vulnerable people in the community) was a main part of my role too!
Benefits of volunteering:
Volunteering can be an extremely rewarding experience, as you can see the difference you can make, however small, even with limited legal knowledge as a 1st or 2nd year student! Being a part of the warm and close-knit community is truly wonderful, as they really value their volunteers – there’s always lots of conversations, group lunches, and even TikToks to promote our CLC! Furthermore, volunteering is an invaluable way to find out which area of law piques your interest – there are just so many different career paths a law degree opens you up to!
Written by Ally Wong