Handbook

The Police Powers Clinic is an experiential learning program located within Redfern Legal Centre, an independent, non-profit community centre dedicated to promoting social justice and human rights. Redfern Legal Centre provides a state-wide specialist legal advice service on police powers. In this course students will put their legal skills and knowledge to use and gain practical experience of law and policing in action. At the same time students will be critically analysing the effect of law and police practices on disadvantaged clients in a community legal centre setting. Students will be assisting Solicitors in advising clients in making complaints against the police, as well as conducting work on research, policy and community legal education under the supervision of the Police Powers Clinic convenor. Through client work, advocacy and law reform projects and a weekly two hour seminar, the program aims to strengthen students' practical skills in research, writing, advocacy, problem-solving, team work and independent judgment. Students will spend 1 day (7 hours-9am to 5pm) at Redfern Legal Centre each week for 10 weeks. There will be a half-day induction program at the Centre which is compulsory for all students.