Specialist Clinical Legal Education: An Australian Model

Abstract

Clinical legal education in Australia traditionally has been based in generalist clinics, where the client and caseload intake is limited primarily by the financial means of clients rather than by the legal subject matter of their problems. The breadth and variety of legal problems which confront clinic students provide insight into and understanding of the operation of the legal system at the grass roots and the legal issues raised rarely seem to reflect directly the law the students have learnt in the classroom.

In recent years, for both educational and political reasons, Australian Universities have begun to develop specialised clinics, serving clients with problems in a particular area of law.

This article describes the operation of Monash’s specialised Family Law clinic and considers the factors which, in the Monash experience, have combined to ensure its stability and recognition, within the University and in the broader political context.