ALRC internship program

The internship program is an important part of the ALRC inquiry program. An internship at the ALRC provides an opportunity for students to increase their awareness of law reform processes and improve their research and writing skills, while contributing to an ALRC inquiry. Interns join a team for one of the ALRC’s current inquiries and are supervised by the Commissioner in charge of the inquiry and/or legal officers.

The ALRC accepts students in their penultimate or final year of an undergraduate or graduate law degree, from any university including overseas institutions. The number of interns accepted at any one time will depend upon the current work program of the Commission. In 2011–12, there were 15 internships offered and the ALRC was pleased to include students of an exceptionally high standard from around Australia and abroad. Students came from the ACT, Victoria and NSW. Three overseas students spent time with us including Scott McIntosh from Harvard University Law School, and Sharity Bannerman and Laurie Holmes, who joined us for six weeks from the University of Maryland.

All our interns provided an excellent standard of work across the ALRC inquiries and were involved in a range of ALRC activities attending when possible, consultation meetings with inquiry stakeholders, Advisory Committee meetings and inquiry team meetings.

The ALRC is indebted to our student interns whose excellent research skills and enthusiasm ensures a very high quality input to the ALRC’s work.

ALRC policies in relation to internships, student placements and professional legal practice are available on the ALRC website.

Left to right: ALRC President, Professor Rosalind Croucher, Sharity Bannerman, Laurie Holmes

Interns July 2011 to June 2012