Practical Legal Training Students - Not-for-Profit 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.   

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 

Placement is part-time (minimum 3 days; 22.5 hours per week) and the successful candidate 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

Key areas of exposure from a PLT placement with Not-for-profit Law include: 

• Intake: PLTs play an integral role in taking detailed instructions from clients (not-for-profit organisations), providing supervised legal information and assisting with making pro bono referrals where appropriate.  
• Triage: PLTs assist the duty lawyer to assess matters for assistance. 
• Legal research: PLTs contribute to legal research, problem solving and analysis relating to inquiries and our advocacy work. They also assist our lawyers with drafting legal advice. 
• Law reform and advocacy: Not-for-profit Law undertakes a range of law reform and advocacy work on policy issues impacting the not-for-profit and charity sector. Where possible, PLTs are able to participate in this work.  
• Training: PLTs assist with the preparation of training material, where possible, and are invited to training sessions presented by Not-for-profit Law staff and other organisations on a variety of topics. 
• Contributing to Justice Connect’s Reconciliation Action Plan activities. 

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 

Eligibility and how to apply 

To be eligible for this position, you must: 

• Have completed your law degree 
• Be currently completing your Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (through College of law or an equivalent institution) 
• Undertake a minimum of 50 days of practical legal training at Justice Connect 

Lawyers will not be considered 

*Please note that PLT positions are unpaid* 

Please upload your resume and a cover letter. Please ensure your cover letter includes your available start date, your preferred days, how many days placement you can commit to and the details of your GDLP provider. 

We know our team and our organisation is stronger with a diversity of backgrounds and experience, including lived experience of the issues we work on. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people of colour, people from culturally and linguistically diverse and refugee backgrounds, people with diverse religious beliefs, gender diverse people, LGBTIQA+ people and people living with a disability are strongly encouraged to apply. 

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