“The Criminal Law Advocacy placement has been the highlight of my degree. I built advocacy skills and engaged meaningfully with real clients.”
Students who do their placement with us will be be allocated to one of our clinics, spanning the following areas:
In 1971, a group of Monash University law students ran a telephone referral service from the Melbourne Citizens Advice Bureau. Through that work, they saw first-hand how many people were struggling to access legal help. It wasn’t enough to simply point people in the right direction. They wanted to help solve problems, not just identify them.
After countless conversations in lecture theatres, cafes and pubs, an idea began to take shape: local communities needed a local legal service that understood their challenges and was embedded in their lives.
In 1972, those students, alongside lawyers and academics, established Springvale Monash Legal Service. It was one of the first community legal centres in Australia, built on a simple but powerful belief that everyone deserves access to justice, regardless of their circumstances.
More than 50 years later, much has changed, but our purpose remains the same.
Today, as South-East Monash Legal Service, we continue to provide free legal assistance to people across Melbourne’s south-east while working alongside Monash University students to deliver practical legal education. This partnership helps train the next generation of socially conscious lawyers while strengthening access to justice for our community.
Our history is one of community action, collaboration and a belief that the law should work for everyone. Those values continue to guide our work every day.
Between January and June 2025, students in our criminal law program supported more than 50 clients across criminal, quasi-criminal and regulatory matters. Many of these clients represent the “missing middle”: people who are ineligible for legal aid but unable to afford private legal representation. Without this program, many would have been forced to represent themselves in court.
In just six months, our student-led program delivered:
Each outcome represents not only a legal resolution but also restored dignity, stability, and opportunity for clients facing systemic disadvantage.
