Volunteer Law Work (1 Viewer)

[jackmurray1989]

Where can I do some volunteer law work in the future (possibly at the end of first year) to look good on my resume for only a few hours work a week?

I live in the Wollongong area.

 

[melsc]

Try places like community legal centres, I know there are a lot in the CBD, not sure how many near wollongong. Check this page out. http://www.naclc.org.au/topics/2093.html http://www.nswclc.org.au/clcs.html

This one sounds close
http://www.illawarralegalcentre.org.au/jobs.htm

Otherwise email/call/visit firms/offices in your area and ask if they would like someone to volunteer? This was effective in getting me paid employment so I am sure it will work for voluntary work as well. Most lawyers dont think about how having a few students voluntary or paid will be helpful and often volunteer work leads to paid work, its a great way to get a foot in the door.

Good luck

 

[hfis]

As a PLT student who has desperately been seeking work in the Wollongong area since last year, I say happy hunting.

 

[melsc]

Have u randomly emailed people, I found waiting for jobs to be avaliable or answering job ads that 100s of students see end is a long a fruitless process. It can be so frustrating as so many law students want the same sort of thing.

I am assuming you've looked on http://www.collaw.edu.au/pp/legal_job_vacancies.asp#nsw
and www.alsanet.asn.au

To the OP the college of law site I posted above sometimes has paralegal/volunary work, most of the time its PLT but there are often jobs for current law students, I had an interview with a place that advertised for paralegals on there.

 

[hfis]

I've gone one better and randomly called people. It's nice when you get a followup, but those are few and far between, and so far have been to tell me that sorry, they couldn't offer me a position.

The CoL website is good. I have an interview for a firm in Sydney from it coming up, so hopefully that goes well. To be honest, I'm mainly concentrating on grad positions now, which is being factored into what firms I apply to.

To the OP: definately try the Legal Centre. They tend to be really good at offering students volunteer positions in small amounts, and I've done a similar placement in Nowra. Also continue to check out the CoL website, and the career pages of whatever paper you read (the SMH tends to have a good legal section).

 

[melsc]

I know how you feel. It spend ages randomly contacting law firms and looking on websites such as CoL daily and got little response, it nice though when they at least say they have nothing avaliable and to try again soon.

Gook luck hfis

 

[jackmurray1989]

Try places like community legal centres, I know there are a lot in the CBD, not sure how many near wollongong. Check this page out. http://www.naclc.org.au/topics/2093.html http://www.nswclc.org.au/clcs.html

This one sounds close
http://www.illawarralegalcentre.org.au/jobs.htm

Otherwise email/call/visit firms/offices in your area and ask if they would like someone to volunteer? This was effective in getting me paid employment so I am sure it will work for voluntary work as well. Most lawyers dont think about how having a few students voluntary or paid will be helpful and often volunteer work leads to paid work, its a great way to get a foot in the door.

Good luck

Yeah, thanks. I already had a look at that and I might give it a shot.

As a PLT student who has desperately been seeking work in the Wollongong area since last year, I say happy hunting.

What's the difference between PLT and just the straight 4 year B. Laws? Is it any extra time or what? Is it any good at Wollongong?

 

[hfis]

PLT is what you need to do in order to become a solicitor in NSW. It stands for Practical Legal Training.

I find the course at UOW to be good, and it is comparable to the version offered through the College of Law. In addition, they will credit you for experience gained as part of LLB190/311, meaning you are only required to secure an extra 60 days.

If you have completed your core units and only have a few electives remaining, you may complete it alongside the final year of your degree part time, which is what I'm doing. Massive workload though, I find it hard to juggle sometimes.

 

[mitsui]

legal centres offer very little number of spots, and mostly for final year students too

there is usually a yr long waiting list.

 

[jackmurray1989]

Wow. I thought it would be easy to get volunteer work.


For the PLT, do you have to find your own work experience or can the uni secure it for you? I think I might give it a shot, I'm doing arts/law but I'm going to drop the arts because I like law, so I might pick up the PLT.

 

[hfis]

I think the uni can offer guidance (I've never asked, save for my voluntary placement back for LLB311 - they gave me a person to contact), but not much else. They're not going to 'get' a job for you, if that's what you want.

And speaking as someone who dropped a combined degree to go into the straight LLB scheme, unless you're failing the other degree miserably - as I was - stick with it. Because when you get to your final year, you think 'gee, I wonder how I could possibly stretch this safety net out for another year?' and start to realise just how short and meaningless one more year really is.

And mitsui is right about legal centres being competitive - I think the only reason I got the spot I wanted straight away was because it was in the country. The lesson to be learned here is that the likelihood of a firm hiring you is directly proportional to its distance from Sydney.

 

[mitsui]

hahaha

i might give the one at liverpool a shot.

 

[maka]

If the sole reason you want to help out at a community legal centre is to pad out a resume, then I advise you not to worry about doing it at all.

I know this is pretty blunt but consider the real reasons as to why you would want to do volunteer work with the CLC's. Some of them should be personal such as gaining experience but most reasons should be altruistic such as helping those who are disadvantaged and can not afford legal representation or face to long a wait for Legal Aid.

If you just want to pad out a resume, dont take a spot off someone who legitimately wants to help the disadvantaged. I think it is more courtesy to those who go to CLC's rather than other applicants anyway.

If you want to pad out a resume, look for corporate firms who have fair greater resources and where an additional person isnt as big a hassle in terms of resources and finances.

Thats just my opinion anyway, it might not be something you subscribe to.

 

[mitsui]

personally... i don't think how those two motives are in conflict with each other.