Public Interest Law Graduate Program
3 July 2006 at 1:07 pm
La Trobe University’s School of Law is offering a new graduate program in public interest law that is particularly relevant to practitioners and policy makers and pro bono coordinators in law firms.
The School will build on its long history of engagement with its community via clinical legal education programs at West Heidelberg (within the legal service in the community health centre) and at Preston.
Senior Law Lecturer, Judith Dickson says that given the increasing focus at government, professional and community levels over the past 10 years on pro bono lawyering, it’s time for practitioners in the field to have the opportunity to reflect on their practices and address some of the key legal, practical and ethical issues involved in public interest lawyering.
Dickson says La Trobe’s School of Law has developed the program in collaboration with the Public Interest Law Clearing House and the Consumer Law Centre Vic
The first subject, ISSUES IN PUBLIC INTEREST LAW, will run on 6-7 + 10-11 July and 24 August 2006. Students may take it either as professional development (no assessment) or as part of a Master of Laws LLM.
Students from other university Masters programs may also take it as a one off for credit in their program.
The subject will examine the growth and development of the concept and practice of public interest law and the varying interpretations of the term and its relationship to pro bono practice. Key legal practical and ethical issues will be examined using topical case studies.
The Public Interest Law Program has a second unit offered in December dealing with consumer law and further units for 2007 dealing with human rights in the domestic law environment; international and comparative disability law & practice and with coronial inquests.
The web link is: www.latrobe.edu.au/law/pubint or you can contact Judith Dickson at j.dickson@latrobe.edu.au.
