LRSJ values are increasingly being integrated into the Law School curriculum, with several courses exploring social justice issues themes and providing students with the opportunity to develop key law reform skill sets such as submission writing and public interest advocacy. Courses specifically tailored to practical LRSJ-related outcomes include the Internship Program (LAWS4230) which provides for placements in community legal centres, NGOs and various parts of the ‘integrity’ branch of government, the Prison Legal Literacy Clinic (LAWS4304) which started life as a LRSJ project, the clinical program which includes the Environmental Law clinic (LAWS 4281) and Community Law Clinic (LAWS4268), as well as a host of elective courses on human rights law, environmental protection, Indigenous rights, discrimination law, forced migration, and the intersection of gender, law and development.

LRSJ and Diversifying the Curriculum

LRSJ is proud to be part of an ANU College of Law initiative looking at reforming and diversifying the curriculum. This program challenges the ways in the discipline is traditionally taught and whose voices and histories are centred or silenced. 

In 2021, four LRSJ interns developed an annotated bibliography on the issues of gender, Indigeneity, sexuality and colonialism that can be tapped into as a resource for convenors and lecturers across the College. In 2022, we hope to involve students again, this time in as part of a process of mapping and evaluating core courses which all students are required to take.

If you are interested in being involved in this program, please contact the LRSJ Director, Associate Professor Matthew Zagor, at lrsj@anu.edu.au. 

Internships in the Sector

The College’s Internship Program offers invaluable work-integrated and experiential learning opportunities for students interested in careers in the law reform and social justice sectors.

In 2021, interns worked at Darwin Community Legal Service, the Kimberly Community Legal Service, Walk Free (the Modern Slavery Project), the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, the Women’s Legal Centre (ACT), the Environmental Defenders Office, the First Peoples’ Social Justice Initiative, Gun Control Australia, the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, Green Law, Canberra Community Law and the LRSJ itself. 

The LRSJ has started to showcase some of the amazing work done by interns. In 2021, we highlighted the research on modern slavery supply chains carried out by students placed at Walk Free –  this will become a regular feature on our calendar in 2022 and beyond!

If you want to know more about opportunities to do social justice work through the internship program, contact Matthew Zagor or Jonathan Liljeblad, the course convenors.