Volunteering

Voluntary work is a great way to give something back to the community - and to enhance your CV! Whatever direction you plan to take your law degree in, volunteering indicates to potential employers that you are a committed person with a broadened world view - that you have done more than just study - and that you have experience working in a professional environment.

By volunteering you can develop your legal and professional skills, as well as your professional contacts - this is very useful for a non-legal as well as a legal career.

If you plan to work in the law, even in a commercial firm, and want to gain legal experience in a voluntary capacity there are many local community legal centres as well as legal centres that represent specific groups and issues in Melbourne and Victoria. This work gives you experience assisting solicitors working with clients, doing legal research, casework and policy work. As long as it is supported by a genuine desire to help the community, this work is a valuable addition to your CV when you are applying for Traineeships.

If you plan to work in the Not-for-Profit sector, either in a legal or non-legal capacity, previous voluntary and community experience is necessary. It is a competitive employment environment and employers seek people who can demonstate a commitment to such work and all of the difficulties and sacrifices that it entails. An established history of voluntary and community work demonstrates that you are committed to social justice and community issues, and therefore enhances your chances of successfully gaining employment in this sector.

While voluntary and community work can look great on your CV it is important to remember that these are professional organisations and if you choose to volunteer you must make a committment to meet the professional requirements of the organisation. You must treat the work and your colleagues as seriously and with as much respect as you would a paid job.

Beware! Employers can spot people who have just done a bit of voluntary work to enhance their CV!!

The LSS produce an annual Equality handbook that is a great place to start researching volunteer organisations you may like to approach. It can be accessed here.

Below is a directory of possible places to volunteer. It is not an exhaustive list. The Employment section of this website advertises current voluntary opportunities.

Amnesty International Australia

Arts Law Centre of Australia

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

Aurora Project

Australian Business Volunteers

Australian Volunteers International

Communications Law Centre

Consumer Action Law Centre

Disability Discrimiation Legal Centre

Environmental Defenders' Office Victoria

Federation of Community Legal Centres

JobWatch