Facilitating Effective Work Experience Supervision to Enable Diverse Students to Succeed in the Australian Legal Profession

The completion of legal work experience, including internships, has become quasi-mandatory for law graduates to be competitive for paid employment in the Australian legal profession. However, the employability skills and professional connections which students hope to gain through such work experien...

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Main Authors: Kylie Covark, Anne Hewitt, Stacey Henderson, Beth Nosworthy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Bond University 2024-11-01
Series:Legal Education Review
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.53300/001c.123207
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author Kylie Covark
Anne Hewitt
Stacey Henderson
Beth Nosworthy
author_facet Kylie Covark
Anne Hewitt
Stacey Henderson
Beth Nosworthy
author_sort Kylie Covark
collection DOAJ
description The completion of legal work experience, including internships, has become quasi-mandatory for law graduates to be competitive for paid employment in the Australian legal profession. However, the employability skills and professional connections which students hope to gain through such work experience may be affected by a variety of factors, including if their workplace supervision is not effective. This is a particular issue for law students from groups underrepresented in the profession, who may have less familiarity with legal work and workplaces, whose experiences are less likely to mirror those of their supervisors in a profession which lacks diversity, and who are already experiencing compound vulnerability which limits their capacity to speak up about issues. This, in turn, limits diverse students’ capacity to transition into the profession. This paper considers how to facilitate inclusive and effective supervision within the profession to enable a wide range of law students to maximise the outcomes of their legal work experience. Within this context it outlines a project to promote successful supervision by supporting both law students and lawyer supervisors as one way of helping to turn the tide in favour of a safer, more inclusive legal profession.
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spelling doaj-art-e8500ddea48742f68204c6ca13ce9e302025-08-20T03:47:19ZengBond UniversityLegal Education Review1033-28391839-37132024-11-0134210.53300/001c.123207Facilitating Effective Work Experience Supervision to Enable Diverse Students to Succeed in the Australian Legal ProfessionKylie CovarkAnne HewittStacey HendersonBeth NosworthyThe completion of legal work experience, including internships, has become quasi-mandatory for law graduates to be competitive for paid employment in the Australian legal profession. However, the employability skills and professional connections which students hope to gain through such work experience may be affected by a variety of factors, including if their workplace supervision is not effective. This is a particular issue for law students from groups underrepresented in the profession, who may have less familiarity with legal work and workplaces, whose experiences are less likely to mirror those of their supervisors in a profession which lacks diversity, and who are already experiencing compound vulnerability which limits their capacity to speak up about issues. This, in turn, limits diverse students’ capacity to transition into the profession. This paper considers how to facilitate inclusive and effective supervision within the profession to enable a wide range of law students to maximise the outcomes of their legal work experience. Within this context it outlines a project to promote successful supervision by supporting both law students and lawyer supervisors as one way of helping to turn the tide in favour of a safer, more inclusive legal profession.https://doi.org/10.53300/001c.123207
spellingShingle Kylie Covark
Anne Hewitt
Stacey Henderson
Beth Nosworthy
Facilitating Effective Work Experience Supervision to Enable Diverse Students to Succeed in the Australian Legal Profession
Legal Education Review
title Facilitating Effective Work Experience Supervision to Enable Diverse Students to Succeed in the Australian Legal Profession
title_full Facilitating Effective Work Experience Supervision to Enable Diverse Students to Succeed in the Australian Legal Profession
title_fullStr Facilitating Effective Work Experience Supervision to Enable Diverse Students to Succeed in the Australian Legal Profession
title_full_unstemmed Facilitating Effective Work Experience Supervision to Enable Diverse Students to Succeed in the Australian Legal Profession
title_short Facilitating Effective Work Experience Supervision to Enable Diverse Students to Succeed in the Australian Legal Profession
title_sort facilitating effective work experience supervision to enable diverse students to succeed in the australian legal profession
url https://doi.org/10.53300/001c.123207
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AT staceyhenderson facilitatingeffectiveworkexperiencesupervisiontoenablediversestudentstosucceedintheaustralianlegalprofession
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