Legal practice in regional, rural and remote Australia

The ANU Legal Workshop is participating in efforts to address the dramatic need for lawyers in regional, rural and remote (RRR) Australia. The Legal Workshop is contributing by:

• increasing awareness of law graduates about the pressing need for lawyers in RRR Australia, and
  
  
• facilitating and promoting law graduate legal practice experience placements in RRR Australia.

About 20% of students undertaking the ANU Legal Workshop Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice are based in RRR Australia. In addition to course work GDLP students undertake legal practice experience. Legal practice experience is an excellent way for students to explore their legal practice interests.

During the GDLP students are approaching the point where they will qualify for admission to legal practice and most GDLP students are able to make a significant contribution in the workplace during placement. In some cases the placement results in an offer of employment.

ANU Legal Workshop initiatives

In 2009 and 2010 the Legal Workshop partnered with the National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC) to pilot ways to promote and support Practical Legal Training (PLT) placements in RRR Australia. To read about the initiative take this link to the paper presented at the National Rural / Regional Law and Justice Conference in Warrnambool, Victoria, on 20 November 2010.

The pilot was successful and is now the basis for NACLC's ongoing initiative:

Additionally, from 1 November 2010 the Legal Workshop is providing RRR placement assistance with expanded criteria. The criteria focus on the shortage of lawyers in all sectors in many parts of RRR Australia. This is currently the only assistance scheme in Australia for law graduates seeking to undertake legal practice experience in RRR Australia. Take this link for more information about Legal Workshop RRR placement assistance.

An overview of the issues

Job market in Regional Australia, Lawyers Weekly, Nov 2009.

Law Council of Australia Submission  to the Attorney-General, Sept 2009.

Law Council of Australia, Discussion Paper, Sept 2009.

Lawyer Drought, ABC Radio National Law Report, 14th July 2009 (includes transcript and audio).

Report into the Rural, Regional and Remote Areas Lawyers Survey, prepared by the Law Council of Australia and the Law Institute of Victoria, July 2009.

Recruitment and Retention of Lawyers in Rural, Regional and Remote NSW, A Literature Review, written by Trish Mundy for the Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre, July 2008.

Some synergies between practical legal training and recruitment and retention of CLC staff in RRR areas , paper by Judy Harrison to the Go Bush Young Lawyer! session of Just is as Just does - CLCs Working for Justice, 2008 NACLC Conference, Darwin, 18 August 2008.

JAPA: Justice Access Programs Alert, March 2009, No.6, NSW Law and Justice Foundation Special Issues – Rural, Regional and Remote Programs.

Looking for RRR legal practice jobs

For jobs in New South Wales:
Check the NSW Law Society, Regional Law Societies website

For jobs in the Northern Territory:
Check the NT Law Society website  

Also check the NT Government website

For jobs in Queensland:
Check the Queensland Legal Aid Regional Solicitor Program

Also check the Queensland Legal Aid Positions Vacant

And the Queensland Legal Staff website

For jobs in Tasmania:
Check the Tasmanian Law Society website  

For jobs in Victoria:
Check the Law Institute of Victoria website

For jobs in Community Legal Centres Australia wide:
You can view job notices for CLCs around Australia on the web  or by email. Send a blank email, with no signature block or other contents at all to the auto joining email address .

For jobs in Western Australia
Western Australia Country Lawyers Program