Work Experience
Work experience for students interested in law, politics, and justice
If you're drawn to careers in law, politics, government, or justice, work experience can help you understand what these fields actually involve beyond what you see on TV or in the news. These sectors are incredibly diverse, ranging from courtroom advocacy and policy development to community legal services and law enforcement, and experiencing different areas can help you figure out which path might suit your interests and values.
The challenge is that many of these placements require planning ahead and can be competitive, but there are more options available than you might think. From traditional law firm placements to government departments, courts, and community organisations, there are opportunities to see how the legal and political systems work from the inside.
Law firms and legal practices
Traditional law firms remain one of the most popular options for work experience, and many practices welcome students for short placements. You might shadow solicitors during client meetings, help with basic research, observe how cases are prepared, or learn about different areas of law like family law, commercial law, or property law.
Start by approaching local law firms directly - smaller practices and suburban firms are often more accessible than large city firms and might give you more varied exposure to different types of legal work. For example, Attwood Marshall Lawyers on the Gold Coast offers work experience for senior students, giving you insight into a regional legal practice.
Don't overlook in-house legal departments either. Large organisations like hospitals, airports, universities, and corporations all employ lawyers, and these roles can be quite different from traditional practice. The work often involves contracts, compliance, risk management, and advisory work rather than courtroom advocacy.
Community legal centres
Community legal centres provide free legal assistance to people who can't afford private lawyers, and many welcome work experience students. These placements give you insight into access to justice issues and let you see how law intersects with social issues like housing, employment, family violence, and immigration.
Refugee Legal in Melbourne offers Year 10 work experience where you can learn about refugee and asylum seeker law. This type of placement often provides a more diverse perspective on legal work than corporate practice and can be particularly valuable if you're interested in human rights or social justice.
Search for community legal centres in your area - most cities and larger regional centres have them, and they're often keen to inspire the next generation of socially conscious lawyers.
Courts and tribunals
Spending time in courts gives you firsthand experience of how the justice system actually operates. You'll observe proceedings, see how judges and magistrates manage cases, and understand court procedures and protocols. Some courts offer structured work experience programs rather than just public gallery observation.
The ACT Courts and Tribunal offers work experience for Year 11 and 12 students, providing supervised exposure to various court proceedings and behind-the-scenes operations. These programs often include sessions with judges, registrars, and court staff who can explain different aspects of court administration and legal proceedings.
Even without a formal program, you can arrange to shadow a magistrate or spend time with court staff to better understand how different types of cases are handled.
Government departments
Government departments employ lawyers and policy officers working on everything from legislation development to regulatory compliance and public administration. The Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety offers work experience where you can see how government lawyers and policy officers work on criminal justice, corrections, and community safety issues.
If you can't access in-person placements, the NSW Government runs a virtual internship simulation program that lets you work on realistic government projects and policy challenges from home.
These placements show you how law and policy intersect with politics and government administration, which is valuable whether you're interested in becoming a government lawyer, policy adviser, or working in public service more broadly.
Parliament and political offices
If you're interested in politics, consider reaching out to your local member of parliament or state representative. Many politicians welcome work experience students in their electorate offices, where you'll see how they interact with constituents, respond to community issues, and balance local concerns with broader policy work.
The ACT Legislative Assembly also offers formal work experience programs where you can spend time in the parliament itself, observing debates, committee hearings, and the legislative process.
These placements help you understand how democracy works in practice, how legislation is developed and debated, and what skills politicians and their staff actually need. You'll quickly discover that politics involves far more administration, constituent service, and policy research than the question time drama you see on the news.
Law enforcement and forensics
Police services and law enforcement agencies offer work experience that shows you the investigative and operational side of justice. Victoria Police runs a work experience program where you can see various aspects of policing, from community engagement to criminal investigation.
If you're interested in the scientific side of criminal justice, the Australian Federal Police offers forensics work experience where you can learn about evidence collection, analysis, and how science supports criminal investigations.
These placements are particularly valuable if you're considering careers in policing, criminology, or forensic science, and they provide a very different perspective on the justice system compared to legal practice or policy work.
Finding opportunities
Don't be discouraged if formal programs are full or unavailable in your area. Direct approaches to local lawyers, community legal centres, court registrars, or your local member of parliament can often result in informal placements that are just as valuable. The key is demonstrating genuine interest, being professional in your approach, and being flexible about timing and what the placement might involve.
Many law, politics, and justice work experience opportunities require advance planning and formal applications, so start your search early. Our work experience database lists structured programs across Australia, including application deadlines and eligibility criteria.