This course is taught by experiential means and affords students the opportunity to work in a partner organisation which undertakes legal practice, policy, research or advocacy relating to an area of law. The placement part of the course allows students supervised practical experience, in research, writing, legal assistance, advocacy and related activities. Students will be participating in legal, government and policy systems in their placement site and critically analysing the role of lawyers, operation of the law, policy and the legal system as part of the course in regular classes.

This course gives students the chance to relate their legal studies to the real practice of law and legal policy. Students are recommended to consider undertaking an internship course as well as one of the School’s clinics at some point in their degree. This will allow students to experience a different method of learning about the law in context and will enhance students’ understandings of their other class based courses.

Each successful applicant for participation in the program is allocated as an intern to a particular partner organisation at the outset of the session. The partner organisation will assign a supervisor for each intern. Students will work under the supervision of a supervisor within the partner organisation and will attend fortnightly classes through the semester.

Interns are required to attend at their partner organisation for at least the equivalent of one day each week over 12 weeks, by arrangement between the intern and the partner organisation and confirmed with the Program Coordinator. Many students may choose to do extra days. Some internships may be considerably longer. The organisation sets the requirements for the duration of the internship.

The range of projects in which the intern will be involved will be determined according to the project priorities of the partner organisation. However, in general it is expected that an intern’s duties will consist of a combination of advocacy, research, project administrative work, interviewing clients, observation, preparing legal materials editing, writing, event coordination, preparing background materials, briefing papers, liaising with other organisations and doing relevant work of a substantive nature. The level of responsibility afforded to each intern will be decided by the partner organisation.

Interns are required to attend fortnightly seminars. Relevant readings are supplied and will be discussed. These are designed to promote discussion and reflection on a range of issues that may arise during the course of the internship – for example, legal, professional, ethical and personal issues. They may also address the application of skills such as legal research, legal writing, advocacy and interviewing. Where students are undertaking their internship placement out of Sydney including overseas, individual supervisors or online classes will be organised.

Attendance by interns at the partner organisation and at the program seminars is mandatory. Students whose attendance falls below the specified 12 days (or equivalent) or who do not attend classes without a medical certificate or other adequate evidence will be deemed not to have completed the course requirements and will not be eligible to pass the course.

More information can be found on the 'Law in Action' in Law Website.