Role Title: Legal Intern 2, Piddington Legal Assistance Clinic
Organisation: The Piddington Society
Internship Period: Winter (June - July)
Location: Perth CBD
Western Australia has the highest rate of Aboriginal incarceration in the nation, with an Indigenous person 16 times more likely to be imprisoned than a non-Indigenous person. It is well established that there WA has the highest rate of Aboriginal over-representation in the country with an Aboriginal population of ~4% but a prison population of 40%+.
Additionally, there is an over-representation with arrest rates and contact with the criminal justice system such as being held in police custody
In this context, it is foreseeable that due to such a significant number of Aboriginal people who are incarcerated, and the clamour for already limited resources, that there may be a number of individuals who should have access to appeal opportunities but do not realise this prospect.
The Piddington Legal Assistance Clinic will connect law students and graduates with solicitors and barristers pursuing criminal appeals, and other legal aid defence cases.
Project Intern will assist the PLT Director in establishing the Clinic, developing the IT infrastructure and procedures required, and undertake paralegal work in the pilot phase of the clinic.
The intern will be supervised by a lawyer and will undertake legal research and writing.
The Piddington Society is an association of lawyers committed to collegiality and justice. It runs professional development programs for lawyers, including a graduate training course, with a focus on ethics and collegiality.
Proceeds from these programs are directed to access to justice, namely through financial contributions to community legal centres.