Melbourne Law School Clinics (MLS Clinics) is the hub for clinical legal education and public interest law at Melbourne Law School.
Through experiential learning opportunities such as internships and clinics, students build their legal skills and knowledge while contributing to the work of our community law partners. Learning by working with real clients to solve real legal problems.
Clinics and internships are an opportunity to experience the law in action. Informed by their work in the clinic, students consider whether existing laws, processes and institutions meet the aims of the justice system, and identify and work towards needed reforms.
View our subjects
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Climate Resilience Clinic
Provides students with the opportunity to work with communities to prepare them for and assist them in the aftermath of climatic events. They will develop the practical legal skills and theoretical understandings required to become lawyer who understands the breadth of law relevant to climate change, and capable of using the law for the benefit of communities that are affected by climate change.
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Disability Human Rights Clinic
Students and clinic practitioners here partner with Disabled People's Organisations, government bodies, civil society organisations, international non-governmental organisations, and international human rights bodies along to identify, analyse and report on rights violations experienced by persons with disabilities, and propose and advocate for solutions.
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Indigenous Legal Advocacy Clinic
Engages with current law and policy issues impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Students work in small groups in partnership with an Aboriginal legal service or related body on an issue of law or justice identified by the partner organisation. Clinical projects may include legislative submissions, amicus briefs and law and policy analysis.
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Law Apps
In Law Apps students will design, build and release a live legal expert system that can provide legal advice to non-lawyers. Legal expert systems (law apps) are applications that replicate the thought processes and actions of a lawyer in connection with a specific legal question.
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Legal Internship
The aim of this subject is to provide students with the opportunity to gain practical legal skills and undertake a public interest or community-focused legal workplace experience that complements and deepens their coursework learning in the Melbourne JD.
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MLS Tax Clinic
The MLS Tax Clinic provides students with the opportunity to undertake advice and representation work for vulnerable taxpayers, either individually or clients as part of Not-For-Profit organisations, government institutions, or small businesses.
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NDIS and Disability Benefits Clinic
Students will engage one-to-one with clients and conduct legal research for partner organisations that are doing systemic advocacy work, while advising and representing people with disabilities, their families and carers
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Law and the Environment Lab
This subject gives students a practice-focused opportunity to explore how the law influences the environmental and related social issues associated with infrastructure projects, from finance to operation.
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Public Interest Law Clinic
Students support lawyers in public interest law organisations one day a week over the course of the semester, directly assisting in the delivery of legal services to clients. Partners have included JobWatch, Refugee Legal, Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, Flemington and Kensington Community Legal Centre, Victoria Legal Aid.
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Stateless Legal Clinic
Offers students the opportunity to develop their practical legal skills while making a real difference to the lives of stateless adults and children living in the Australian community. In this clinic, students will support lawyers working with stateless clients to provide direct assistance to stateless children and adults, in a range of matters.
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Street Law
Students collaborate closely with community organisations to identify, design and develop one or more Community Legal Education presentations or resources that they will present to the chosen audience or community partner.
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Sustainability Business Clinic
Provides a practical, clinical experience in which students are supervised in the provision of legal support to new and innovating enterprises. Clients will be identified as warranting assistance because they will contribute to community or environmental wellbeing but do not have the current capacity to pay for specialised legal assistance.
Legal Practice Resource Hub
The Hub contains information and tools to help you plan for and make the most of your legal placement experience. It covers information about your options for undertaking a placement, tools to guide your reflection on the experience and modules to help you build your skills and knowledge.
By completing a Clinic subject, prospective lawyers (law students) are provided with the opportunity to gain practical learning and experience of the law, that goes beyond learning cases from a textbook. Stella Putri, JobWatch Clinic Placement
Impact stories from MLS Clinics
Real work, real outcomes, real careers
MLS Clinics subjects provide students with the opportunity to deepen and enhance their classroom learning, and to develop skills that are applicable across the wide range of career paths taken by Melbourne Law School graduates. However it’s not just about student learning – the work of the clinics also contributes in a real and tangible way to providing access to justice to disadvantaged and underserved clients and communities.
Some of the benefits of a clinical experience:
- Hands-on skills and knowledge that enhance employability;
- Understanding the law and legal processes in context;
- The opportunity to learn from leaders in practice and develop professional contacts;
- A deeper, real-world understanding of legal need in the community and the role of lawyers and the legal profession in meeting it;
- Working with other professionals – understanding the importance of interdisciplinary perspectives and collaboration;
- An opportunity to use your skills to contribute to the community
Through the Legal Internship program MLS Clinics is proud to partner with a range of community organisations, government and statutory bodies that offer placements to JD students.
"We have hosted Melbourne Law School interns at the McCabe Centre for Law & Cancer for almost a decade now, and we’re always grateful for the sharp research skills, thoughtfulness, and fresh perspective they bring to our organisation. Interns make valuable contributions to our work to use the law to prevent cancer and help those affected by it, including by contributing to our publications and resources, conducting research to help us scope our work in new areas, updating our knowledge of particular issues, and supporting us with organising events."
Read about the student experience interning at the McCabe Centre for Law & Cancer:
Interested in becoming a host?
If you are interested in partnering with Melbourne Law School and hosting a legal intern please contact the MLS Clinics Director.