Knowledge as Empowerment - How the Law Can Be Used to Aid Social Justice and Youth

7/3/2017

NATHAN GRECH

Vol 11, Issue 2

Attending Melbourne Law School has been on my radar for as long as I have been out of high school. I, along with most people reading this, were fortunate enough to make the cut. But I am one of the lucky ones. My route to accomplishing my goals and ambitions in adulthood has been a very smooth one. This is not the case, though, for many young people.

When I was 19 I took a friend and lawyer’s advice and began volunteering at a community legal centre in Werribee called “WEstjustice”, which helps vulnerable, low socio-economic, refugee and disadvantaged members of the community with legal issues ranging from fines to family violence issues.

The experience was eye opening to say the least, and exposed me to a side of my local community that I had never witnessed before. People overwhelmed by their legal problems, needing serious help but unsure what they needed to access to get that help. This is the role of lawyers in the community sector, including one of my colleagues, Vincent Shin – to advise and help people most in need.

Vincent began working at WEstjustice in 2015. He had been hired under the nation’s first School Lawyer project, an initiative seeking to provide a school with an in-house lawyer to provide legal advice and representation to students and their parents on a broad range of legal issues.

The project was implemented at The Grange P-12 College to aid students and their families navigate any legal issues. A number of these issues relate to personal safety and family violence, a contentious and only recently enlightened social issue in popular discourse.

The program has been a resounding success in generating media coverage and illustrating the importance of equal access to justice for all Victorians, no matter what their age, circumstances or background. Perhaps equally as important, however, is the exposure it has given to the work of lawyers such as Vincent, who drew upon his personal experiences to undertake his School Lawyer role effectively.

Vincent himself had a turbulent upbringing, experiencing family violence and not feeling certain about where he was heading after VCE. After a number of years trying to decide what he wanted to pursue as a career, Vincent eventually went back to university to complete a law degree, and worked with disadvantaged youth in residential care homes whilst studying at university. This experience prompted him to decide to use his degree to give back to youth who had faced the same or similar disenfranchisement that he had experienced growing up.

Vincent, my colleagues and other lawyers like him involved in social justice advocacy are a shining example of how the community can use their profession to give back in a meaningful way. The reason I chose to write this piece is to highlight the positive impact that the law and a law degree can have on our society. It is not just about clerkships, big business, and earning a high enough salary to pay back the FEE-HELP loan so many of us will accumulate. It is about a fundamental right that we all should have to be able to seek legal services when we need them most.

Not everyone has the same advantages that we have been blessed with as MLS students. A law degree is a privilege that allows a graduate the chance to change the paths of those in need. It should never be taken for granted, as the services we can provide upon graduation can touch and benefit the lives of members of the community for years to come.

Nathan Grech is a first-year JD student

The rest of this issue

More articles like this

Interview with Katie Robertson, Social Justice Lawyer Extraordinaire

Jacob

7/3/2017 05:42:56 pm

Vincent is a killer - great work Nathan :)

Cynic

7/3/2017 08:47:53 pm

Nothing quite like being lectured about the role of the legal system/law school by a first year.

Good on you for your enthusiasm/idealism, but pass first semester before you start telling us how little clerkships and salaries matter.

Especially for those of us who didn't have the easy path to Melbourne law that you did.

Put a sock in it

7/3/2017 09:46:59 pm

I don't see why you feel the need to respond so derisively, or treat your fellow classmates with such contempt.

Your point is lost in your nasty choice of expression.

I think you should get off your high horse before attempting any more human interaction...

POI

7/3/2017 10:32:00 pm

I feel you either missed the point of the article (to celebrate real examples of the ideals about the social uses of law), or this really struck a nerve for you...
Whether you've abandoned your own ideals/ have a chip on your shoulder because you perceive others have had an 'easier ride' (which is an assumption on your part), step back from the veil that your keyboard provides so that some of us can be reassured that there are still some future lawyers that have admiration and respect for the potential social utility of the law.

Nah m8

7/3/2017 09:58:14 pm

@put a sock in it

The choice of words does not change / diminish / undermine their contention.

Whilst I agree that the comment was fairly unnecessary, I admit I do sympathise to a degree with the underlying frustration. Hundreds of us volunteer in some capacity. For many of us from underprivelleged backgrounds describing the pathway into law as easy is laughable.

We can all admire the authors passion, however it's pretentious and frankly condescending to preach an opinion on clerkships and salaries 2 weeks into a law degree. That attitude is a luxury, and career interests are a personal choice.

Missedthepoint

8/3/2017 09:01:43 am

Nathan didn't say that the pathway to law school is easy for everyone, he is reflecting on his own experience of getting here coming from a stable socioeconomic background and not having to face a lot of the disadvantages that other students may have to face

Additionally, the comment about clerkships and salaries is more about encouraging people like him (who come from advantage) should, where possible, use the opportunities afforded to them to make a lasting difference to others. He feels lucky to be able to do this degree and wants to use it to help disadvantaged groups and there isn't anything wrong with him saying that

You need to stop taking this personally and understand that he is not preaching at anyone, more just saying that if you've come from a position of advantage in society it's important to remember to help others who didn't have the same opportunities

Missedthepointmissesthepoint

8/3/2017 09:10:12 am

No. I can see this objectively as a well intentioned, yet easily perceived as pretentious. I come from a privileged background, there is nothing that personally applies to me, or personally offends me. Yet I still share 'nah m8's views.

Missed the point, ironically you're missing their point entirely. Woosh.

No one has the right to tell anyone what they should or should not be doing with their law degree. Frankly, it's no ones business. If you are into SJ, great! If you're interests lay in corporate law, great! You do you, and let people do what they want without unwelcomes guilt tactics.

You have no idea what people do in their own time and what causes they support, often laying outside the law.

Chill Out H8rs

7/3/2017 11:07:45 pm

Nathan, this is a great article. I'm also from the western suburbs and Vincent is doing fantastic work. It's nice to see first-years contributing to De Minimis as well, those criticising you know they don't have anything to offer with a 1/10th of the value of this piece.

Keep up the great work.

NPJ

7/3/2017 11:26:29 pm

Lads, I think some of you need to take IP. This third year subject may shed some light on the death of the author. In city understanding of intellectual property, there is a notion of audience impact, with the identity of the author ultimately being irrelevant. The semiotic values in this article are ones of using a law degree for a purpose beyond what the law school tells you.

And people saying it's hard to get into law school, pluh ease. While I accept that some people may have kids or family/housing/medical struggles, the bar for this law school entry is set incredibly low. I know guys that got in on lsats as low as 129. Inside the school it's a tough slog, no doubt, but don't go trying to pass off getting into MLS as some herculean task.

Hey now, not so fast

7/3/2017 11:58:24 pm

Obviously everyone in the law school has a couple of brain cells to run together :)

The challenge is more often financial or social than grades based - I assume this is what OP meant. Moving from rural areas, supporting dependants, supporting and caring for disabled or sick parents etc. I know people from all walks of life attending the school, surely you do too!

Getting in may not be Herculean, but the struggle of staying in and balancing a rigorous, expensive degree with other commmittments is not so easy for all! I'm lucky enough to be supported by family, but many are not

bruh

8/3/2017 10:25:07 am

Bro I got a 181 lsat and a 100 WAM from Harvard, get around me

7/3/2017 11:58:54 pm

I'm shocked at the negativity and hostility of some of these comments. This is an excellent article profiling a lawyer who is attempting to spearhead positive initiatives in the community. It's well written and provides a great perspective, we'll done Nathan! I hope you don't allow the arrogance and small-mindedness of others to affect your contributions in the future.

Reilly

13/3/2017 07:35:55 pm

Great article on breadth of application that a law degree can have across a range of demographics.

Vincent's decision to put back into the community to assist people who come from similarly socio-challenged status highlights also the importance of recruiting into the law from a diverse pool.

This has become more of a problem with the Melbourne Model. Depressing that the demographic has become increasingly homogenised around privilege (a demographic somewhat easily trigerred lol).

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