Practical Legal Training (PLT) Intern (voluntary)

This placement is available to Graduate Diploma of Legal practice students looking to gain the practical legal training & experience they need to be admitted to practice law. Anika Legal is a supportive and value-driven community legal service provider with a key focus on legal education. We are recruiting to fill PLT positions available from 1 September 2023 to 1 September 2024. Recruitment is occurring on a rolling basis - so if you'd like to complete a PLT placement with us, please submit an application!

Equip yourself with the real-world skills that an aspiring lawyer needs to thrive in an evolving legal industry.

• Learn what it's like to be a lawyer providing access to justice - run your own cases (under supervision) and make a real impact in the lives of your client.
• Practice the people skills needed to effectively communicate with clients and negotiate with the other side.
• Gain an understanding of how you can use and develop legal technology within a virtual legal practice.
• Gain exposure to project work relating to legal service design, legal tech, data & impact measurement, or advocacy within the context of Access to Justice for renters.

Why we exist

There is an unmet need for legal assistance. Each year, over 600,000 Australians cannot access the legal assistance they need. And even those who are able to access legal assistance can struggle, with legal services commonly delivered in ways that can be difficult for regular people to understand.

What we do

We provide free, online legal assistance to people who can’t afford it. We are a registered charity and social enterprise that envisions a world where everyone can access justice. We work towards our vision by providing free legal assistance to the community through an online platform, which is powered by law students seeking practical legal opportunities through university programs and volunteers.

Learn more about our team, how Anika works, and our organisation.

You will work in the Case Team to provide legal services to clients and improve the ways we can create access to justice.

You will be placed within the Anika Case Team, where you will run your own cases (under supervision) and make a real impact in the lives of your clients. You will:

• Engage in professional verbal and written communication with stakeholders both in Anika and externally including clients, the other side and third parties.
• Draft file notes, letters of advice, letters to the other side and VCAT applications.

You may also be placed in one of the following Anika portfolios:

• Product Development
• Advocacy
• Data & Impact measurement

Examples of work that may be assigned to you includes:

• Product Development -
  • Improving precedents and processes in current legal services in response to user feedback
  • Conducting legal and user needs research to support development of new legal services
    
• Advocacy -
  • Research on the unmet legal needs of renters (outside of rental law)
  • Stakeholder mapping to enable advocacy for law reform
  • Compilation of the "Anika Advocacy Toolkit"
    
• Data & Impact measurement -
  • Gathering, cleansing and analysing current service data and user feedback to support practice improvement and/or systemic advocacy goals

Time commitment:

PLT placements with Anika Legal are expected to run for 50 - 75 days, with interns expected to commit 2 - 3 days per week (which can be a combination of in-person and remote working days).

Start dates are flexible.

You will be a law student or graduate who is eager to learn about the legal profession and embrace Anika's values of integrity, compassion, curiosity and courage.

• Compassion - you are passionate about supporting vulnerable Australians to achieve just legal outcomes.
• Curiosity - you are self-motivated to learn and find better ways to do things.
• Courage - you are willing to step outside your comfort zone in the pursuit of justice.
• Integrity - you will perform your role to the highest ethical standard.

Anika Legal is committed to building a team that is as diverse as the community we serve.

Our team is better with people from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences who work together to impactfully create access to justice. We believe in fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace for people of all gender identities, sexual orientations, cultural and linguistic backgrounds and abilities. We strongly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people, people who are culturally and linguistically diverse, people who are LGBTQIA+, disabled people and people of mature age to apply.

You can apply for this voluntary position using this form.

You will need to include:

• a cover letter - no longer than one page, which includes your availabilities and and your ideal start and end dates.
• your CV

If you have any questions about this role please contact our People and Culture Team via email at [email protected].

If you are a law student looking for practical legal experience

This role is for law graduates, enrolled in their Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice in 2023 or 2024.

If you are a current law student, you can join our mailing list to be kept up to date when opportunities arise.