New legal internship to support access to justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
UNSW Sydney
UNSW Law & Justice students will gain practical legal experience while supporting the work of the Aboriginal Legal Service.
UNSW Law & Justice has partnered with the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited (ALS) to launch a new internship that will help deliver critical legal services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities.
The internship program will give UNSW Law & Justice students the opportunity to gain practical legal experience while working alongside ALS practitioners. Students will develop professional skills, deepen their understanding of the legal challenges facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities, and build their capacity to contribute meaningfully to social justice throughout their careers.
This exclusive internship builds on a connection dating back more than five decades. UNSW Law & Justice founding dean, Professor Hal Wootten AC QC, worked with young Aboriginal leaders to establish Australia's first Aboriginal legal service and first free community legal service.
“This partnership reflects the values on which our Faculty was built. Our founding dean, Hal Wootten, believed legal education should be connected to the pursuit of justice and service to the community,” said Professor Andrew Lynch, Dean, UNSW Law & Justice.
“Hal was involved in the founding of the Aboriginal Legal Service and ensured UNSW’s very first law students were connected to the Redfern community, supporting access to justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We are proud to honour that history with this new partnership with the ALS enabling the next generation of lawyers to learn and contribute."
UNSW Law & Justice will provide students with an allowance to support their participation in the internship. UNSW is also committed to financially supporting ALS, recognising the time and resources required to provide effective, dedicated supervision of student interns. This support will help ALS to continue deliver critical services while investing in the next generation of legal professionals.
“Law students have always made a critical contribution to the ALS mission, going right back to our founding days in the 1970s. We are grateful for their time and skills, and in return, we offer unparalleled opportunities to gain hands-on legal experience,” said Sharif Deen, Acting CEO of ALS.
“As the peak legal services provider to Aboriginal people in NSW and the ACT, we are invested in strengthening pathways for students and graduates to contribute to our movement. We are pleased to launch this new internship with UNSW Sydney, building on our strong relationship with the Faculty of Law & Justice and continuing our proud tradition of working together to advance social justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.”
UNSW BA/LLB student Tayla Muller, who is one of the first to undertake the internship, describes the opportunity as a chance to develop her practical knowledge of how the ALS helps Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities address legal issues.
“Earlier this year, I completed the Indigenous People and the Law elective with Dr. Samara Hand and found the subject very interesting and insightful. The subject broadened my understanding of the historic and systemic barriers to justice faced by Indigenous Australians and strengthened my desire to contribute practically to this area of law,” she says.
“When I saw the opportunity to intern with the ALS, I thought this would be an ideal way to build on what I had learnt in that subject and to explore how these issues are experienced and addressed in practice.
“I have been so grateful for the genuine effort the ALS has made to get me involved in some of the most interesting and unique parts of their work, including in the Walama List, the Youth Koori Court, circling sentencing, and policy and advocacy.”
Up to six student placements will be available each year. In 2027, students will intern for ALS one day a week over a 10-week term.
Applications for Term 1 2027 internships close on Sunday 11 October.
Learn more about UNSW Law & Justice internships.
Contact details:
For enquiries about the story and interview requests, please contact Aimee Chanthadavong.
Email: [email protected]