Rural Regional and Remote
Law students aspire to practice in big shiny buildings at least in their state capital, if not in Hong Kong or London. Unfortunately this means that they are not aware of nor do they consider the excellent career opportunities available in regional centres, small towns and remote areas. This is not only a loss for law students - a 2009 survey conducted by the Law Council of Australia showed that rural, regional and remote areas were facing an acute access to justice problem in the next five to ten years if more lawyers did not move to those areas.
This so-called ‘RRR problem’ could not have come at a better time for law students. As metropolitan firms have reduced their graduate intakes in response to the economic climate, RRR firms offer graduates a career path that will expose them to a diverse range of matters and offer excellent training should that lawyer want to move back to metropolitan practice in the future.
ALSA has drawn the attention of its LSS members to this at its October Council meeting, publicised these opportunities in the media and remains an active member of the Law Council of Australia’s working group on the matter.
More information can be found here: Report into the Rural, Regional and Remote Areas Lawyers Survey, Prepared by the Law Council of Australia and the Law Institute of Victoria
Recruitment and Retention of Lawyers to Rural, Regional and Remote Areas - September 2009 Submission to the Attorney-General, The Hon Robert McClelland MP
ALSA’s article in Lawyer’s Weekly http://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/blogs/opinion/archive/2009/11/24/thriving-in-the-bush.aspx
National Vacation Clerkships Scheme
Mobility of students between states has increased markedly as jurisdictions in Australia have moved to Practical Legal Training for law graduates. However, due to the disparate and fragmented seasonal clerkship systems in Australia it is still very difficult for students to seek a graduate position interstate
Many law firms are recruiting almost exclusively from students who have previously completed clerkships. As a result, completing a clerkship in effect becomes a pre-requisite for a graduate position.
As a result of the different dates, students are faced with the choice of rejecting local offers on the hope that they will receive a clerkship in another jurisdiction, or vice versa.
ALSA is pushing for a single national date for clerkship offers so that students can complete seasonal clerkships in different jurisdictions without having to gamble their future career prospects.
More Information can be found here:
Article in The Australian, 3 October 2008
ALSA called a further meeting of national firms and clerkship administrative bodies in November 2009 to discuss more concrete measures to implement a common national offer date. Consensus in favour of such a scheme could not be reached at the meeting, despite ALSA surveys showing that over a quarter of students surveyed in four states applied for clerkships interstate and would benefit from such a scheme. The response to a survey of firms conducted after the meeting to gauge their level of support was also not particularly enthusiastic. ALSA is currently reviewing the project strategy.
Women in the Law
ALSA is committed to promoting the involvment of women in law. Historically, women have faced massive discrimiation and barriers to being involved in the legal system, at all levels.
This page provides information for LSS's and law students on the orgnaisations working to reduce the discrimination that has been inherent in our legal system.
Categories
- Women Lawyers Organisations - Independent
- Commonwealth Government - Departments and Offices
- Other Resources - Journals and Links
Women Lawyers Organisations - Independent
Australian Women Lawyers
This association is the peak body of women legal practitioners' associations across Australia. AWL is concerned with issues relating to the practice and advancement of women in the legal profession and with a wide range of legal, social justice and equity issues.
National Womens Justice Coalition
The NWJC is a coalition of organisations and individuals which aims to promote women's equality before the law in Australia. The NWJC aims to promote women's equality before the law by working at a national level.
Womens Electoral Lobby (WEL) Australia Inc
WEL is a feminist political organisation founded in 1972 as a women's political lobby. WEL is non-sectarian and non-party-political and all political views are found within the membership. It is the national lobby organisation for all Australian women.
International Labour Organization - Bureau of Gender Equality
The promotion of justice and the improvement of working conditions of women and men have always been guiding principles of the ILO. The Bureau of Gender Equality examines and publishes information on the situation of women at work around the world, in terms of human rights ...
Commonwealth Government – Departments and Offices
Office for Women
‘The Australian Government Office for Women (OfW) is a policy advisory unit and a division of the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs in Australia. All of our work is founded on the goal of mainstreaming women's issues. This means working to ensure that a focus on women's experiences, issues or perspectives becomes everyone's business’.
Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission is a national independent statutory government body, established in 1986 by Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act (Cth). The federal Attorney General is the Minister responsible in Parliament for the Commission. ...
Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency
EOWA’s role is to administer the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999 (Commonwealth) and through education, assist organisations to achieve equal opportunity for women.
Cases and Legislation
Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999 (Cth)
Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (CTH)
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Decisions
Other Resources – Journals and Links
Australian Virtual Centre for Women and the Law
Women and the law
Paid maternity leave: activities on gender equality in the workplace
Gender and the Law
Equality before the law: justice for women: [part 1] [part 2]
ALRC report recommending changes to Australian laws so as to remove any unjustifiable discriminatory effects of those laws on or of their application to women with a view to ensuring their full equality before the law.
After Ada: a new precedent for women in law
This paper aims to critically evaluate the role and experience of women in the legal profession at the beginning of the 21st century and provides an agenda for change.
Women Watch: the UN working for women
This is a joint UN project to create a core Internet space on global women's issues. It was created to monitor the results of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995. It was founded in March 1997 by the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW).
SPEECH by the Honourable Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG (2003)
SPEECH by the Honourable Justice Ruth McColl AO (2006)
State Based Resources and Information
ACT
Australian Capital Territory Discrimination Tribunal Decisions
NEW SOUTH WALES
Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW)
Industrial Commission of New South Wales decisions
New South Wales Anti-Discrimination Board
New South Wales Office for Women
Equal Employment Opportunity in the NSW Public Sector
NORTHERN TERRITORY
Anti-Discrimination Act 1992 (NT)
Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commission decisions
QUEENSLAND
Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (QLD)
Anti-Discrimination Tribunal Queensland Decisions
Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland
Queensland Government Office for Women
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (SA)
Equal Opportunity Commission of South Australia
Office for Women, South Australia
TASMANIA
Anti-Discrimination Act 1998 (TAS)
Office of the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner
VICTORIA
Equal Opportunity Act 1995 (VIC)
Equal Opportunity Commission Victoria
Victorian Office of Womens Policy
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (WA)
Western Australia. Office for Women's Policy
