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CLCs a training ground

Community Legal Centres (CLC) are a great training ground for a future career in the law, along with serving as a meaningful way to assist those who might struggle to gain legal representation…

July 01, 2007 By Lawyers Weekly
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Community Legal Centres (CLC) are a great training ground for a future career in the law, along with serving as a meaningful way to assist those who might struggle to gain legal representation when they need it most.

Monica McKenzie now works as a defence solicitor in criminal law, but she gained invaluable experience as a volunteer at Redfern Legal Centre. Her time there was so educational and rewarding that she still volunteers there once a week.

“CLCs are a great place for law graduates to get on their feet,” McKenzie said. “You get that face-to-face contact and the responsibility for handling a person and their matter.”

Much of your time working at a CLC is taken up in assisting marginalised people, McKenzie said. “We get a lot of homeless people, and people on disability support pensions, as well as a lot of Indigenous clients.”

According to McKenzie, not only does work in a CLC help a law student prepare for a future career, but it can in many ways be more satisfying than a career in a large law firm.

“In the top-tier law firms there’s a lot more people higher up the corporate rungs than you,” she said. “You’ll just be a paper pusher. This is on the ground, on your feet, and great experience.”

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