Street Law Centre WA Inc

streetlawcentre.org.au adminassist@streetlawcentre.org.au (for initial HR enquiries)

Street Law is a specialised community legal centre providing information, legal advice, and ongoing representation services to those experiencing and at risk of homelessness. Street Law is the only community legal centre in WA that exclusively delivers outreach legal services to its client group at various community service agencies. Street Law delivers a comprehensive Community Legal Education program to both clients and community service workers. This programs focus is to provide education on the legal rights and responsibilities and increase the awareness of the legal problems that impact Street Law’s clients. Further Street Law contributes to law reform projects. Through this contribution, Street Law seeks to create positive systemic change.

Volunteering

Which areas of law will clerks be exposed to? Criminal & traffic law (Magistrates Court only), obtaining client’s identity documents, criminal injury compensation applications and criminal injury compensation recovery applications, restraining order matters for both applicants and respondents, discrimination claims, housing issues, fines and infringements matters, police complaints and driver’s license issues. What kind of tasks do student volunteers undertake? Assisting solicitors with legal tasks and undertaking case work and legal research. Case work will include preparing correspondence, liaising with courts and public authorities, and preparing submissions and/or court documents. What are the skills/benefits of taking a position at your CLC? Broad and dynamic skills will be attained by taking a position at Street Law Centre. These skills include real life application of legal principles, exposure to client’s legal issues as well as strong communication skills. Do you have opportunities for courtroom work/advocacy? Opportunities may arise to attend court with a Street Law Centre solicitor. Do you offer any opportunities to do PLT? Yes.

Applications

How can students apply? By following Street Law Centre on LinkedIn and Facebook, to see when we advertise for volunteers.

How many positions are available for students? Based on placements and secondments, there are 2-4 positions available. What does your recruitment/ interview process consist of? 1. Send in a resume, academic record, and a statement as to why they want to volunteer at

Street Law Centre; 2. Prepare a case study response, which is an exercise in spotting the legal issue; 3. Respond to selection criteria questions; and 4. Attend an interview.

What attributes do you look for in an applicant? We look for excellent communication and interpersonal skills as well as an ability to work cooperatively with others in a team environment. We also look for someone who can work independently, work effectively under pressure, and demonstrate initiative. The successful candidate must have highly developed legal research and analytical skills and have strong attention to detail.

What advice do you have for students looking to apply? We advise students to be able to demonstrate and develop their knowledge of social justice issues and to illustrate experience working with people from diverse cultural, socio-economic, and linguistic backgrounds and people with substance abuse or mental health issues.