Professional Experience Requirements
What counts as professional work experience?
Students may undertake Professional Experience in any manner that suits them, for example, one day per week, or a number of hours at a time. For this purpose, the School of Law will consider 7.5 hours as being the equivalent of one working day.
Professional Experience placements may occur in any environment in which a student can gain experience on how the law, or the legal system operates in practice. Placements with a solicitor or barrister; in a public law or regulatory office such as the ACCC, ASIC or Crown Law Department; in a court; or with a police prosecutor are examples. It is not necessary for students to undertake placements at separate firms. Seasonal Clerkships are an ideal way to satisfy this requirement.
It is not expected that there be any formal instruction for the student. Rather, they are expected only to be able to experience the work undertaken by those working at the placement. In particular, it is hoped that by working in the above outlined legal environments students will be able to experience some or all of the following:
- the types of routines and procedures commonly found in the legal departments and/or legal settings (courts etc)
- the dynamics which are commonly associated with the provision of legal services
- the process of becoming a professional law practitioner
Some of the Professional Experience placements students have previously undertaken include:
- Community Legal Centres
- Law Firms
- Legal departments within corporations
- Seasonal Clerkships
- Court officer
