Working in Community Legal Centres in Victoria: The role of legal education

Forty-six per cent of respondents with law degrees felt that their legal education prepared them for community legal centre work, and 54 per cent felt that it did not. Men and older respondents were more likely to view their law degree as useful, however perceptions of utility did not vary by either university attended or community legal centre.

Where respondents felt their legal education was useful, clinical placements were often a central feature. Those who were more negative about the utility of legal education for community legal work cited a narrowly focused suite of legal degree subject offerings and training, with a leaning towards commercial legal career pathways, and called for greater recognition of the community sector and access to justice in teaching.

University education was seen as an important conduit in sparking an interest in community law, often citing particular experiences like exposure to specific lecturers, subject electives, placements and internships. People who had this kind of exposure felt their legal education had prepared them well for community legal centre work.

For many, the preparation in law school for community legal centre work appeared to happen more by chance than by design, and many were concerned that law schools could do more to overtly support community lawyering. The findings question whether law schools and regulators of the legal profession can do more to prepare community lawyers of the future and a sustainable community legal sector.

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