Family law assistance program: Professional practice

Students undertake a practical placement in a specialist family law program based at a community legal centre which endeavours to meet the legal needs of its community. Under supervision by qualified solicitors, students provide legal advice to clients, undertake ongoing casework, brief Counsel, and in appropriate cases, represent clients in Court and attend Court to instruct Counsel in hearings. Students also attend the duty lawyer service at the Dandenong Family Court each Monday to assist and advise unrepresented litigants. Students acquire a diverse range of practical legal skills including: the capacity to undertake legal research and apply legal research to factual scenarios; the ability to synthesise professional, technical and ethical knowledge acquired in the law degree and apply it in a practical legal context; skills in critical thinking and legal judgment; the capacity to independently devise legal solutions for complex legal problems; and the capacity to identify and respond to ethical, moral and professional dilemmas in legal practice. Students also develop an appreciation of social justice issues and have a heightened awareness of the operation of the justice system, law reform and policy issues. The skills learnt in this unit will be useful for students who wish to practice law (especially family law), along with students interested in policy, government and social justice career pathways.