Brennan Justice Talks: Social Justice Lawyering Recap

It’s no secret that choosing a career path is hard work. You should feel proud that you’re already on the right track with a practical degree, like law. Now all you need to do is understand the industry and area to apply the law, easy right? Well, like all industries, there are nuances in the legal profession where varying expectations around your interest, passion and experiences come into play.

There are plenty of clerkships, internships and Practical Legal training opportunities for the larger corporate law firms, however accessing career and job opportunities with a focus on social justice sometimes isn’t as straight forward. However, if your passion is social justice advocacy, law reform and human rights, you shouldn’t be deterred; instead you should be realistic and well-informed about social justice lawyering. 

In May of 2024 the UTS Brennan Program’s Justice Talks Series brought together four amazing legal professionals to discuss this exact topic. During the “Social Justice Lawyering” panel Brennan Justice students heard about the rewards and challenges of working in law-related social justice roles from Pip Davis, Women’s Legal Service NSW, Gretel Emerson, Refugee Advice and Casework Services, Professor Craig D. Longman Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, and Adjunct Professor George Newhouse National Justice Project. 

In providing rich, broad-ranging and thoughtful advice to UTS students, all panelists agreed that a deep desire to enact change drew them to social justice lawerying and community legal centres. George Newhouse explained that his legal career commenced in finance, but after some time he recognised that he wanted to challenge the injustice embedded into Australia’s legal system, and began to deeply conceptualise the broad systemic injustice in the immigration system. That’s when he decided on a career shift, and after a period of time, ended up at National Justice Project in its early days. Now, he works with three principal solicitors to end discrimination on a systematic level. 

Pip Davis emphasised a similar desire to make impactful changes to our legal system upon reflecting on her work at the Women’s Legal Centre NSW and Marrickville Legal Centre. At the Women’s Legal Centre, Pip’s work, representing First Nations women who had been abused in state care, assisted the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse. Her clients’ experiences were captured in case Study 19. Her work at Marrickville Legal Centre challenged the law limiting access to compensation for victims of abuse, which put children at a significant disadvantage as the result of a 2-year lodgment deadline.

It was a privilege to see laws change as a direct response to our client’s legal action knowing that this would have a significant effect for many other victim survivors in future. Pip Davis

Of course, these memorable experiences come with a heavy and varied workload. On a daily basis, Pip explained she is advising clients; running cases; supervising a team of lawyers; presenting at community legal education sessions; and meeting with ministers about areas of law reform. All while sitting on a number of advisory councils and similar groups. Pip conveyed that her work is fast paced, and no two days are the same.

In Gretel Emerson’s experience, Gretel shared that community legal centres are often extremely busy, because they are generally one of a very limited number of services, and that there’s a sense of pride and privilege knowing that their work supports community members. Gretel finds the most fulfilling experiences are the times spent face-to-face with clients, where they can provide a safe and comfortable environment to open up and speak about their fears. Gretel said that “being able to connect with someone on that level is a privilege”.Despite the deep satisfaction and privilege their work produces, they agreed that working in this area can be difficult because it presents moral and ethical issues, which might feel like an uphill battle.

The law is an inherently flawed and colonial system so our clients will almost never achieve exactly what we and they consider they deserve. There could always be a better outcome, more change implemented and more financial compensation. It is very difficult to explain the limitations of the law to our clients because we understand that it’s not fair and just, but we work within these constraints. George Newhouse

But the good news as George Newhouse explained it, is that “the law is bendable, interpretable and useful. It does not have to be a matter of simply applying the law. We at NJP work to engage all the different sources of law reform and influence, such as the courts, other firms, policy, politics and media.”

George and Gretel provided some excellent, practical advice about how to best way to manage the pressure and challenges of a career in this field, including:

1. Finding a workplace that’s flexible and friendly
2. Keeping up your hobbies and physical exercise
3. Being intentional about your close friendships and relationships
4. Learning to debrief with your team for morale and support
5. Remembering that you’re not alone in this important work

If you’re keen to work in social justice, an entry point can be getting involved in some of the legal or social services and community initiatives around you. The panel all agreed that students who are successful when applying for internships, volunteering roles, or paid roles, are often considered to be serious and competitive applicants based on their overall commitment and passion to social justice, which can be demonstrated via examples of big or small social-justice related activities so far. It may not necessarily be volunteering, we know not everyone has the funds and time for it, but it could be about how you demonstrate your commitment in a variety of creative ways that build your confidence and unique commitment to social justice.

CLCs make a real difference – not just to an individual client, but to a wider group by way of public interest cases and bringing about systemic change through legal policy and reform work. Pip Davis

Keen to get involved in social justice?

The Brennan Justice and Leadership Program offers plenty of opportunities for students to engage with social justice for as long or as little as you like. This is a voluntary program, and by signing up, you'll get notifications to your inbox via the Brennan Canvas Noticeboard about Reflections on Justice or Leadership through Service opportunities. These notifications are suggestions for you to reflect on social justice, or participate in the community in volunteering opportunities. Some opportunities are ongoing, and some require just one weekend, or only a few hours. Getting involved helps you understand the world around you, the politics of today, and gain in-depth understandings of why working in social justice is valuable.

Email the Brennan Team if you're not on the Canvas noticeboard, or if you'd like assistance learning more about the program and opportunities to engage on the topic social justice BrennanProgram@uts.edu.au