Australia

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions WA

Level 1 International House, 26 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6000 (08) 9425 3999 | dpp@dpp. wa.gov.au

www.dpp.wa.gov.au

Criminal Law

What is the main focus of the organisation?

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Western Australia (ODPP) is the independent prosecuting authority for the State of Western Australia, responsible for the prosecution of all serious offences committed against State criminal law. The ODPP acts independently of the Government in decision making on criminal prosecutions. The Director is, however, responsible to the Attorney General for the operation of the Office. The ODPP does not investigate crime - that is the role of investigating agencies such as the WA Police and the Corruption and Crime Commission.

Does the organisation accept vacation clerks?

Yes.

What is the structure of your clerkship program?

The ODPP actively contributes to the training and development of future lawyers by running a vacation clerkship program. The ODPP offers a number of vacation clerkships during the midyear (winter) and end of year (summer) university semester breaks. Vacation clerkships are offered to law students who are typically in their last, or second last year of study. During the two-week clerkship period, students will be provided with an opportunity to learn about the nature of the work that the ODPP performs.

Does the organisation hire graduates directly?

No.

Personal Profile

I applied for a position at the ODPP because I believed that it would provide me with unparalleled opportunities to practice the two aspects of law that had drawn me to study a law degree in the first place – criminal law and advocacy. Within the first few weeks of commencing at the ODPP, you will be appearing in court. Within the first years of commencing at the ODPP, you will be conducting your very own jury trials. The nature of the work is invariably interesting, and can involve reading text messages between drug dealers and being involved in high-profile trials.

With this said, I would not recommend the ODPP for those who have expectations of ruthlessly cross-examining witnesses in front of an adoring jury. Representing the State in serious criminal matters requires compassion, humility and dedication – and it is far more challenging than Netflix might have you believe. The pace and volume of work is relentless. Trials are all consuming and emotionally exhausting. File management responsibilities will necessitate the review of graphic and distressing material. While court appearances and fascinating files will always be perks of the job, it is the people that you encounter that make the job worthwhile. From talented colleagues, committed police officers, and incredibly brave victims of crime, you will be inspired to pursue excellence, and rewarded for it in ways you may never have expected.