Please contact the ANU College of Law Careers and Employability team on enquiries.law@anu.edu.au or on 02 6125 3483

Clinical courses are not compulsory for Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor Students. Clinical courses are counted as elective courses.

Some clinics can be counted as a capstone course option for JD students.

Students can apply to do both a clinical course and a law internship within their degree.

Placements in clinics are limited and much sought after. Students can only complete one clinical course during their degree.

The WWVP Act requires those who work or volunteer with vulnerable people to have a background check and be registered.

The premise of background checking is that the past behaviour of an individual can provide an indication of the possible future behaviour of that individual. Examples or patterns of abusive or inappropriate behaviour can sometimes be evident in information available for assessment, which includes an individual’s criminal record.

The ACT Government considers that the creation of a checking system with appropriate safeguards for people who work with, or who want to work with vulnerable people is consistent with section 28 of the Human Rights Act 2004.

Most clinical courses require students to hold a current WWVP registration. Please research the clinic requirements and ensure you meet these prior to submitting an application.

You must be studying a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) or a Juris Doctor and have completed or be completing five LAWS1000/6100 courses to apply.

Some clinical courses will have additional criteria to meet. Please ensure you check the requisites for each clinic prior to applying.

Applications should be submitted via ANU CareerHub. The application link can be found directly on ANU CareerHub or on the ANU College of Law Clinical Courses website.

There are two application rounds for clinical courses to align with the two intakes per year.

Applications for the first half of the year (Summer Session and Semester 1) open in early September of the year preceding.

Applications for the second half of the year (Semester 2) open in April of each year.

Students can apply for a maximum of two clinical courses per intake; however, if successful will only be offered a place in one of these two applications.

Please note that Legal Education for True Justice: Indigenous Perspectives and Deep Listening on Country and the Mediation Skills Practicum have a separate application process and application dates.

If there is an error on the application submitted, please contact the Careers and Employability team as soon as possible at enquiries.law@anu.edu.au

Students who wish to enrol into a clinical course are required to undergo an application process. Applications need to be submitted via ANU CareerHub and students can apply for up to two clinics each intake. As part of the application process, students will be asked to respond to two questions through a written response and a video response. Once the application has been submitted, the Careers and Employability team will pre-assess the application to ensure students are eligible for the Clinical Program, meet the Clinic requirements and have completed all application steps.

The Course Convenor of each clinic will review all applications and is responsible for making selection decisions. The selection process involves a holistic assessment of a student’s capacity and aptitude to work within the particular clinic to which they have applied. It also involves consideration of the extent to which a student will benefit from the experience of participating in the clinical experience.

Given the high demand for places in the clinical courses, many students who would be suitable to participate in a clinical course may miss out on a place. This is not an indication that an applicant is unsuitable or not capable of undertaking and performing well. Students are encouraged to apply again in the future.

Unsuccessful students are encouraged to consider whether they can undertake volunteer work as part of the Law Reform and Social Justice Course or undertake the Law Internship Course. Where an internship is self-arranged and complies with ANU College of Law requirements, it can be approved without the need for a student to be selected through a competitive process.

The high demand for clinical courses and the holistic nature of the selection process means that it is not realistically possible to give feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

Students who are successful in the application round and have accepted an offer of placement will be provided with appropriate permission to enrol through ISIS when all necessary documents have been signed and enrolment for that session has opened.

If you accept an offer of placement in a clinical course and your circumstances have changed preventing you from undertaking the course, please contact enquiries.law@anu.edu.au no later than two weeks prior to course commencement. This will ensure that we are able to offer this place to another student.