UWA Bachelor of Human Rights student and future Juris Doctor candidate Maya Best applied her skills in communication and research to deliver engaging legal content during her McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship with the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety (LGIRS).
During her internship, Maya assisted with the development of a podcast episode centred on a landmark consumer protection case. The episode explored how a legal team secured the largest fine in Western Australian history against a real estate company, providing an accessible and engaging way to communicate complex legal concepts to a broader audience.
Her supervisor, Beth Crowther, highlighted Maya’s contribution to the project.
“Maya has made a remarkable impact since joining our Consumer Protection team,” she said. “Her professionalism, confidence and eagerness to learn enabled her to take ownership of the podcast project and deliver outstanding results. She would be an asset to any workplace.”
A standout moment for Maya was seeing the podcast come together after weeks of development.
“It was incredibly rewarding to hear the final episode after about ten weeks of work,” she said. “Being offered a role as a personal assistant to the General Counsel within the LGIRS legal team was also a huge highlight.”
Maya was offered a position as a Personal Executive Assistant to the General Counsel within the IRCP legal team, where she now works part-time. While she does not plan to pursue a long-term career in administration, the role provides valuable exposure to legal practice, including opportunities to attend court, engage with legal material and develop a practical understanding of the day-to-day work of lawyers. The experience is helping position her for future clerkships and graduate roles, demonstrating how an internship can lead to exciting professional opportunities.
One of the most challenging aspects of the internship was learning the technical skills required to record and edit audio. Despite having no prior experience, Maya quickly built her capability in media production, demonstrating adaptability and initiative.
Reflecting on her experience, Maya said the internship deepened her understanding of how the law operates in real-world contexts, particularly within government and regulatory environments.
“I learned how important it is to communicate complex legal ideas in a clear and accessible way,” she said. “It also opened my eyes to how much legal work depends on collaboration across different teams.”
Through her work, Maya contributed to improving awareness of consumer protection processes within LGIRS and helped make legal information more accessible to staff and the broader community. The podcast she developed highlights how different teams collaborate to achieve fair trading outcomes in Western Australia.
Maya believes the experience has played a significant role in her professional development.
“It has strengthened my skills in research, communication and collaboration, while giving me valuable insight into government regulation and legal practice beyond my academic studies,” she said.
Her supervisor also praised her ability to quickly grasp complex material and translate it into engaging content, noting her strong initiative, attention to detail and storytelling ability.
Maya strongly recommends a McCusker Centre internship to other students.
“It’s a valuable opportunity to gain hands-on experience, build professional skills and contribute to projects that have real community impact,” she said. “It also helps you better understand how your studies translate into the real world.”