So What’s Next? Enhancing the Employability of Law Students
Professor Noeleen McNamara, Associate Professor Kerstin Braun, University of Southern Queensland
Abstract
Many of our law students are first in family to study law or to study at all and may therefore be lacking valuable firsthand insights into the legal career. In addition, a number of students are swayed to study law through US crime and law television programs which provide a distorted and falsely glamorous picture of legal work. Graduates face severe problems when they wish to enter the legal profession but have chosen the wrong elective courses for their desired careers, failed to gain relevant extracurricular experience during law school, or are entirely unsuited for the preferred vocation.
This paper discusses how we developed and implemented an on-demand, self-paced online micro-course called ‘Identity and Career Development in Law’ in 2023-2024, which is currently piloted in a core first-year law subject. The paper provides an overview of relevant literature which informed the development of the resource. It subsequently reflects on the aims of the micro-course including familiarising students with the process for admission into legal practice in Australia, introducing them to different career options and matters relating to job applications. Lastly, the paper outlines interim feedback received on the effectiveness of the resource.