Rama Sharafizad is a Law student at UWA, and recently undertook a research internship with the Office of the Ombudsman Western Australia (the Ombudsman) earning a nomination for the McCusker Centre for Citizenship’s Outstanding Intern Award for his efforts.
“As a Juris Doctor student, I applied for a McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship hoping to gain some real-life experience of the law and lawyering, which is something that can be difficult to do while still a student,” Rama said.
“In my intern role, I was tasked with reviewing case law, parliamentary reports and cross-jurisdictional research for current and real-world issues that potentially affected real people.”
Jane Burn, Principal Research and Project Officer with the Ombudsman, supervised Rama throughout the internship and nominated him for the Outstanding Intern Award.
Ms Burn said that Rama had demonstrated an ability to understand complicated topics quickly, allowing him to make a significant contribution to the work of the office.
“One of Rama’s research projects related to the Ombudsman’s new Reportable Conduct jurisdiction; this jurisdiction empowers the Ombudsman to both undertake investigations into organisations, and also monitor investigations undertaken by organisations, exercising care, supervision or authority over children into allegations of, or convictions for, child abuse by their employees.
“Rama’s research assisted in providing background information underpinning the exercise of this new oversight function and contributing to the protection of children who form a vulnerable part of our community,” Ms Burn said.
Rama said that the work he contributed to through the internship gave him a new sense of validation that his legal studies were worthwhile.
“What I worked on through my internship is relevant to real lives, and it helped my supervisors and the Ombudsman more broadly with valuable research.
“Much of the research I undertook was contemporary and can have an impact on the lives of the people in Perth and the wider WA community, changing their lives through legislative recommendations and through policy,” he said.
Rama also said that the internship experience had given him a new appreciation for where his studies could take him in the future.
“I was amazed to see just how flexible a law degree could be - up until that point, I had no idea just how much you could do with a Juris Doctor degree, particularly in areas of the law that are not directly related to the courts and to civil or criminal disputes.
“There were many valuable resources and skills that I took away from my time with the Ombudsman, as well as contacts which will help me in my professional life,” Rama said.
“It fills me with a great sense of achievement to have been nominated for the Outstanding Intern Award, because it informs me that my work with the Ombudsman was appreciated and valued, which is very inspiring.”