Practical Legal Training Students - Homeless Law

You’ve finished your degree, and you’re nearly ready to start your legal career, but there’s a final step: practical legal training.  

With Justice Connect, you can do your training and make a real difference in people’s lives. Sharpen your skills while working to help people facing disadvantage and contribute to a cause you’re passionate about — access to justice.  

It’s also a great way to meet new people, gain practical experiences, and develop career-related professional skills and networks with a respected and established legal charity.  

Justice Connect’s Homeless Law is Victoria’s specialist free legal service for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. We are currently recruiting two part-time Practical Legal Training student (2-3 days per week), for a minimum of 50 days total, in our Melbourne office.

Our Practical Legal Training (PLT) placements will provide you with practical and procedural legal experience and skills across practice areas. You will work alongside experienced lawyers and be exposed to embedded digital platforms in our legal practices. This will support you in gaining valuable skills and experience in your quest to complete your legal studies. 

Important information about the role

The position reports to Legal Administrator and Lawyer.

Placements are part-time (2-3 days; 16-24 hours per week) and successful candidates must commit to a minimum of 50 days. 

This position is unpaid. 

This role will be based at our Melbourne city office with hybrid working arrangements. 

 Successful candidates may be required to work 1-2 days per week in our office.  

We will interview and recruit PLT students on a rolling basis. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we will close applications when we have recruited enough PLT students. 

Key Responsibilities:

As a PLT, you will develop practical and procedural legal experience and skills across practice areas relating to Homeless Law. You will have the opportunity to participate in: 

• the intake of new telephone and online enquiries; 
• taking instructions and communicating with clients; 
• assessing matters for clinic appointments, drafting letters and drafting memos for appointments;  
• observing some client appointments; 
• delivering supervised legal information to clients; 
• supporting the work of the lawyers (internal and secondee lawyers) including communicating with lawyers, case workers and the courts/tribunals, and drafting referral memoranda; 
• legal research, analysis and problem solving;  
• contributing to Homeless Law’s law reform, advocacy or project work;
• inputting and maintaining accurate client information on Homeless Law’s case management platform, Microsoft Dynamics;  
• shadowing Homeless Law lawyers at VCAT and Magistrates Court hearings (remotely during COVID-19); 
• contributing to Justice Connect’s Reconciliation Action Plan activities.

Key areas of exposure from a PLT placement with Homeless Law include:

• Intake: PLTs are the central access point to our service. PLTs are at the frontline of client intake, taking detailed instructions from clients, providing supervised legal information, booking appointments and making referrals where appropriate. 
• Legal research: PLTs contribute to legal research, problem solving and analysis relating to inquiries and our advocacy work.
• Law reform and advocacy: Homeless Law undertakes a range of law reform and advocacy work on policy issues impacting on our clients. Where possible, PLTs are able to participate in this work. 
• Communication: PLTs support the work of the Homeless Law lawyers through communication with caseworkers, courts/tribunals, lawyers and other stakeholders, as well as drafting correspondence and referral memoranda.
• Training: PLTs are invited to training sessions presented by Homeless Law staff and other organisations on a variety of topics.

 To find success in this role, you should be able to demonstrate the following capabilities: 

• Be willing to develop and apply new skills 
• Be a supportive and cooperative team member 
• Ensure clients, stakeholders, and colleagues are kept informed of progress and issues 
• Develop positive relationships with clients based on empathy, respect and fairness 
• Work responsibly within the limits of your own role and capabilities 
• Perform work in accordance with set guidelines and procedures  
• Seek feedback from clients, stakeholders and colleagues in order to reflect and improve on your work 

Our Team

In the face of rising levels of unmet legal need, Justice Connect designs and delivers high impact interventions to increase access to legal support and progress social justice.

Justice Connect’s Homeless Law is Victoria’s specialist free legal service for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Since 2001, our Homeless Law team has worked closely with pro bono lawyers to increase access to tailored legal support for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Our Homeless Law services are outreach-based and client-centred, and don’t just focus on legal needs. Homeless Law has integrated staff social workers and collaborates with community sector partners to ensure that clients’ needs are holistically addressed.

Homeless Law also prioritises advocating for better laws and policies through evidence-based strategic engagement and advocacy, which is focused on stopping homelessness before it starts and preventing the criminalisation of homelessness. 

Applications close 11:59pm, 16th January 2023 

#LI-HYBRID