What is the ANU College of Law Internship program?

The ANU Law School’s internship program offers students an opportunity to carry out law-based research projects in a legal professional workplace. The course requires and develops both legal knowledge and a lawyer’s approach to problem identification, analysis and recommendations.

An internship can be organised either by ANU at a partnered institution or with the Kimberley Community Law Service (KCLS), or by the student themselves (self-arranged). 

I have been told I must do a Law Internship as a part of my LLB/JD degree, is this true?

No, the Law Internship course is not compulsory in the Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degrees. LAWS4230/6230 Law Internship is an elective course in the LLB program. JD students can undertake LAWS4230/6230 Law Internship to satisfy the capstone requirement of their program.

I previously volunteered or undertook a program that I think meets the requirements of a Law Internship. Can I get credit for this as a Law Internship?

Credit for previous internships will not be granted. It is recommended that students apply for a self-arranged placement early if considering an opportunity that may meet the requirements of a Law Internship.

Will this count towards an ANU GDLP LPE?

Legal Practice Experience (LPE) is a requirement of the Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice. The GDLP qualifies students for admission to legal practice. If a student undertakes a Law Internship in either the LLB or JD degree, in some cases it may count towards Legal Practical Experience (LPE).

Please refer to the ANU LPE Guidelines, and for more information please contact the LPE Convenor.

What is the KCLS?

Kimberley Community Legal Services (KCLS) Inc. is a non-profit civil law legal service located in the Kimberley, Western Australia. KCLS provides legal advice, legal representation, casework and community legal education, and works on systemic issues and law reform. KCLS focuses on culturally appropriate service delivery, client and community empowerment.

KCLS is the largest remotely located civil law service in Australia and over 85% of KCLS clients are Aboriginal people.

This collaboration includes:

• Law Internships consisting of projects based in Kununurra or Broome, WA.
  Contact Hours: Full time KCLS business hours (8am-5pm) for minimum of 4 weeks, longer is preferred.

There have been over 80 ANU law internships so far. The law internships have focused on topics nominated by KCLS and negotiated and agreed with the interns concerned.

There is a separate application form for KCLS Internships.

Can I apply for a Law Internship if I have already done a Law Internship previously?

Students cannot undertake LAWS4230 or LAWS6230 more than once. If a student has already completed a Law Internship under LAWS4230/6230 they are ineligible to apply again.

However, students are able to undertake both a Clinical Course and a Law Internship within their degree.

Students who have completed an ANIP internship in their other degree are still able to undertake a LAWS4230/6230 Law Internship. If a student has completed an ANIP internship in law to count towards their law degree, they cannot undertake another law internship under LAWS4230/6230.

Can I organise my own internship?

Yes. Students are able  - and encouraged - to self-arrange internships. Students must ensure that the host organisation is aware of the assessment requirements and the supervisor meets the qualification requirements.

Previous experience has proven that self-arrangement provides opportunities for students to choose organisations and locations for the internship based on their future career interests. This can include regional, rural or remote and international locations.

Where a student has arranged their own internship that meets the requirements of LAWS 4230/6230 Law Internship they should apply via the self-arranged internship online form. Students can apply at any time once arrangements have been made.

Can I do an internship overseas?

Yes. Students are able to self-arrange placements overseas, provided the eligibility requirements are met. Students must ensure that the proposed host organisation is aware of the assessment requirements and the supervisor meets the qualification requirements.

Where do I find further information?

Further information may be found on the LLB and JD Program Wattle sites.

How to Apply

Do I have to apply for a Law Internship?

Yes. Applications should be submitted using the appropriate online form. Links to the forms can be found on the Internships page.

Where there are many applications for an internship at a particular partner organisation, only shortlisted applications will be forwarded to the host organisation for consideration.  Students may be required to attend an interview with the organisation. The process is competitive.

Students will be notified through their ANU email address regarding the outcome of their application.

When will applications open?

The application deadline and other keys dates for each semester or session are listed on the website.

How are students selected for a partnered law internship?

A shortlist of applications is forwarded to the partner organisation for consideration. The decision rests entirely with that organisation. Many of these organisations receive many applications but only take a limited number of interns. Some organisations may choose not to take any interns from time to time. The ANU College of Law does not and cannot prescribe the way in which a partner organisation goes about selecting interns. As an example, an organisation may choose not to consider any applicants below a certain grade point average.

Where a student applies for a partnered internship the student should conduct preliminary research to ensure that they are aware of that organisations functions and goals. Feedback from placement organisations that have rejected student applications indicates that this is very much a minimum requirement for those seeking selection.

Students who are unsuccessful in gaining a partnered law internship are encouraged to apply again at a later date, or to consider self-arranging an Internship.

I realised I made a mistake on my application but have already submitted my online form, what should I do?

If you believe there is an error on the application you submitted, please contact enquiries.law@anu.edu.au

What are the application requirements?

To be considered for an internship, students must:

• Show good academic achievement and research skills in Law courses (if applying for partnered internships offered by the ANU College of Law).
• For partnered and self arranged only (not KCLS): provide a summary of their proposed research paper (max 500 words). (Note: the proposed research paper may be amended as a result of discussion between supervisors and interns, following approval to undertake the course).
• If applying for a self-arranged internship, have organised a suitable placement and supervisor.

Experience cannot be credited retrospectively. All students who wish to gain course credit for an internship must apply, enrol and meet other requirements for LAWS4230/6230 specified in the Class Summary.

What is the process for enrolling? / How do I get a permission code?

When your internship has been approved, Law Student Administration will provide you with a permission code to enrol in on ISIS.

Self-Arranged Internships

Do I still need to submit an application form if I have arranged my own internship?

Yes. Please use the self-arranged application form located on the Internships website   Applications are accepted throughout the year.

Can I start the internship before I receive approval from the College?

No. Students wishing to undertake a self-arranged internship will need to arrange, apply and be approved before they start their internship. All internships must be approved by the Course Convenor and permission codes to enrol will not be provided until this has occurred.

Can I do my internship where I work? / Can I get paid for the internship?

Provided that the Internship arrangement made meet the course requirements, any payment arrangements are between the student and host organisation.

Am I guaranteed to be approved for a Law Internship If I arrange my own placement?

If the internship complies with the Law Internship requirements it will usually be approved. 

Who can be my professional supervisor?

Students must have a lawyer supervising them in the workplace. This person is referred to as the ‘professional supervisor’.

If the workplace is a private sector legal workplace, the student must be under the supervision of a lawyer with at least three years post admission experience who holds a current practising certificate.

For other workplaces, the professional supervisor must be a lawyer, but does not have to hold a practising certificate.