North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA)

NAAJA is contracted by the Commonwealth Attorney General’s Department (AGD) to provide Criminal and Civil Law services to Aboriginal people and their families in the Top End of the Northern Territory.

They are also funded annually by the AGD to provide services in the following program areas:

  • Advocacy and Community Legal Education

  • Indigenous Prisoner Throughcare

  • Northern Territory Emergency Response Legal Services

  • Stronger Futures Welfare Rights Outreach

With a team of over eighty staff across the Top End of the Northern Territory, together NAAJA brings a wealth of experience in the fields of Criminal, Civil, Advocacy, Welfare Rights, Community Legal Education and Indigenous Prisoner Throughcare.
Please see the below link for more information
http://www.naaja.org.au/

Internship Opportunities

NAAJA is able to offer volunteer and intern placements to law students and graduates looking to gain paralegal experience in our Criminal, Civil and Law & Justice Projects Teams and in office locations across the Territory.

Interns must commit to a volunteer placement of at least one month with NAAJA as the organisation takes the view that a shorter period does not allow enough time for interns to gain useful experience and contribute meaningfully to the work of NAAJA.

In the criminal section, volunteers are exposed to a busy practice and will work with dedicated and experiences lawyers across a diverse range of matters including in the Local Court, Supreme Court and with bush Courts.

Working with the civil section will expose volunteers to a wide variety of work including housing, statutory compensation schemes, child protection, welfare rights, police and healthcare complaints and adult guardianship.

In the Law & Justice projects section NAAJA is involved in a range of innovative justice programs including the Bilata Legal Pathways Program, the Student Court, Community Legal Education, and support for Cultural Authorities (Elder groups) in communities and in the preparation of law and policy submissions.

To apply please see the link below:
http://www.naaja.org.au/get-involved/internship/

ANU Law Internship Course (LAWS4230/6320)

If you are successful in obtaining an internship with NAAJA, you may be able to use this as a basis for enrolment into the ANU Law Internship course. This would be a self-arranged internship and would depend on you coming to an agreement with NAAJA to arrange for a NAAJA lawyer to act as your professional supervisor for a research project undertaken for the benefit of NAAJA.

Acceptance into the NAAJA internship program does not in any way guarantee that you will be accepted into the ANU Law Internship Course. From time to time it may be impossible for NAAJA to provide the required professional supervisor. It is critical that your primary motivation be a desire to contribute to the important social justice work of NAAJA.

All students seeking enrolment into the ANU Law Internship course (LAWS4230/LAWS6230) are required to make an application to the ANU Law School for entry into that course for the relevant period (Summer, Semester 1, Winter or Semester 2), with acceptance being determined by the course convenor. Students will need to note that this is a self-arranged internship and select that option on the application form. An application for enrolment into the ANU Law Internship course can be submitted in circumstances where NAAJA is in the process of considering a student application and arrangements have not yet been made for the appointment of a professional supervisor. This should be noted on the application form submitted online.