The need to think outside city commercial practice: Encouraging Law students to work with regional and Aboriginal communities

Abstract

The legal profession in both private and public practice, despite reports of an oversupply of law graduates, has difficulty in recruiting and retaining lawyers and legal professionals in rural, regional and remote (RRR) areas, including in South Australia. Many RRR law firms and community legal agencies (including those working with Aboriginal communities) continuously struggle to find suitable lawyers to fill vacancies when they arise and are impeded by the drain of corporate knowledge caused by a constant staff turnover. Law students generally consider RRR legal work to be somehow ‘inferior’ to city commercial practice. Students are typically unaware of the nature, diversity and quality of rural and regional practice. Students are also often unaware about the value of working with Aboriginal communities. This article considers a recent successful student engagement trip to Port Pirie and Port Augusta to address these issues.