Caxton Legal Centre
Represents the interests of people who are disadvantaged or on a low income when they come into contact with the law.
Caxton Legal Centre represents the interests of people who are disadvantaged or on a low income when they come into contact with the law. The centre does this by strategically advocating to government, providing legal advice and social work services, publishing legal information and building community awareness about the issues faced by the people the centre help.
Vacancies are advertised on websites such as Seek and Ethical Jobs. Caxton Legal Centre recruits student volunteers in a number of capacities:
Front Office Student Volunteers: Volunteers provide the first point of contact for clients. Students are expected to commit to a 4-hour weekly shift for a semester. As well as submitting a resume and cover letter, students must address the relevant selection criteria.
Clinical Legal Education: In partnership with Caxton, the UQ Pro Bono Centre runs a student consumer law clinic (LAWS5180). Students gain credit towards their law degree by participating in these clinics. Students must apply for a place in the clinical legal education program prior to the semester starting - information can be found on the UQ Law website.
Volunteer Projects: Caxton Legal Centre also partners with the UQ Pro Bono Centre to deliver several other volunteer projects. Students should monitor the UQ Pro Bono Centre roster.
Testimonials
Klaire Coles
Director of Coronial and Custodial Justice Practice - Caxton Legal Centre - 2023
When I commenced studying law, I aspired to work in a community legal centre. I was drawn to the sector because of my significant interest in human rights and social justice.
I was lucky enough to obtain a job answering the phones for the Caxton Seniors Legal and Support Service (SLASS) when I was in the final year of my law degree. The entire staff was very inclusive and encouraging of students. Even before I was admitted as a lawyer, I was given the opportunity to do some (supervised) client work and, after admission, was offered a lawyer position.
Very soon after my admission I worked on a very large case concerning 30 residents of a retirement village who were being evicted from their homes by a developer who had purchased the village. I worked with lawyers from Caxton as well as Minter Ellison, and senior and junior counsel. Being given this opportunity and trust to run such a matter so early in my career provided an essential grounding for me and exposed me to large litigation and the workings of a top tier firm.
I have now been at Caxton for 12 years and have worked across all civil law areas of our practice. I have always been encouraged to strive to achieve the best outcomes for our clients and community and continually received opportunities to be involved in and now lead test case litigation in the areas of consumer credit, human rights and anti-discrimination law and inquests. Caxton has also supported me to advance personally (allowing me to take multiple periods of leave to travel and have a family) and professionally (including by providing me with leave to work at Legal Aid Queensland).
I am very grateful to the staff of Caxton, particularly Scott McDougall, Bridget Burton and Ros Williams who assisted me to develop as a lawyer in the early years of my career. Now in my role as practice director, I am very pleased to be able to mentor and guide students and junior practitioners, and I hope that many of them will have fulfilling and long careers in the community legal sector.
Sarah Gilmour
Volunteer - Caxton Legal Centre - 2020
I have volunteered with Caxton Legal Centre in two different capacities throughout my degree, both of which were facilitated by the UQ Pro Bono Centre. In 2017, I was a student researcher on a Manning St Project. Throughout the semester, I worked with two other UQ students to produce a report on objectionable behaviour evictions from social housing in Queensland. The project came about after lawyers at Caxton observed a pattern of vulnerable tenants being evicted from social housing because of 'objectionable behaviour' which was involuntary (such as a disability or medical condition) or otherwise out of their control (for example the behaviour of children or unwanted visitors). We looked at the trends emerging in case law, anecdotal evidence and data from the Queensland Department of Housing to inform recommendations for reform which could improve outcomes for vulnerable tenants. This project was both a great introduction into the community legal sector in the early stages of my degree, and a valuable opportunity to contribute to the policy and law reform work of Caxton Legal Centre and other agencies further afield.
In semester 2 last year, I volunteered with Caxton Legal Centre's student employment law clinic. Supervised by a lawyer in the centre's employment law practice, myself and the other students interviewed clients who had come to Caxton for advice on matters such as unfair dismissal, unpaid wages or employment benefits, and discrimination. This clinic was one of my first opportunities to interact with real clients and allowed me to develop important skills in client interviewing and drafting documents at a pace far slower than would normally be afforded to a junior lawyer in private practice. It also introduced me to an area of law which I had not previously studied, which I am now considering pursuing after graduation. Above all, this volunteer role afforded me the opportunity to make a very real contribution to Caxton's important work in increasing access to justice for people who would otherwise be unable to obtain legal advice.
Tips about volunteering in the CLC space
- Sign up to the UQ Pro Bono Centre roster 2. Don't discount short-term opportunities 3. Treat volunteer roles with the same level of commitment as a paid job