Clinics & community resources

The Centre for Law and Social Justice is part of the justice ecosystem operating through the School of Law and Justice at the University of Newcastle. We are committed to advocating for individuals and communities who are vulnerable and marginalised.

We provide clinical learning opportunities for PhD and undergraduate students that complement the work of the University of Newcastle Legal Centre and the Justice Clinic.

Centre members are highly engaged with the communities their research seeks to serve.

Hunter Restorative Community

The Hunter Restorative Community is currently made up of individuals with a like-minded belief in restorative practice and restorative justice from a range of areas. This includes community groups, non-government and local government services, family and youth services, the University of Newcastle, advocacy services, services working with offenders, legal services, disability advocacy and support groups, education and the NED Foundation. There is dissatisfaction with traditional approaches to conflict (in all sectors), and we know that communities that listen to and work with their citizens meet their needs more effectively. Centre members Dr Ray Nickson and Professor John Anderson are engaged in this initiative.

Learn more

Specialised Legal Advice Clinics

The Centre's partner clinic, the University of Newcastle Legal Centre (UNLC), is a community legal centre operated by solicitors and students of the School of Law and Justice. The UNLC offers legal advice highly aligned with the social justice goals of the Centre, for example:

  • Mediation for vulnerable clients: University of Newcastle Legal Centre solicitors Lisa Molloy and Hugh Arjonilla provide free mediation services for vulnerable clients. This includes Family Dispute Resolution and mediation in civil matters such as neighbourhood disputes. PLT students gain exposure to mediation through attending the intake and mediation sessions.
  • Migration legal advice: The University of Newcastle Legal Centre entered an MoU with Mosaic (refugee services provider) and local migration solicitors and agents to run migration and citizenship advice clinics. The clinics, which engage practial legal training students, assist clients from refugee communities and other vulnerable backgrounds to obtain advice and – where needed – ongoing support through the Legal Centre. The City of Newcastle funded interpreting services for this initiative. Lead solicitors are Hugh Arjonilla and Olenka Motyka.
  • Traffic list advice: Ben Nicholson and Daniel Matas, solicitors from the UNLC, provide duty advice service at the Newcastle Local Court traffic list each Friday. Ben and Daniel are assisted by legal placement students and appear on behalf of clients on a duty basis and where appropriate, provide ongoing free legal representation to some clients.

Refugee Family Reunion

In 2023, RefugeeHub, the Newcastle Migration Research Network, and law students from the University of Newcastle began a collaborative process to support the legal literacy of people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Through the process of legal design, the goal was to create easy to understand, visually appealing resources to support people’s understanding of various laws and legal processes. This resource was designed to assist people from a forced migration background to make informed decisions regarding  Australia’s humanitarian visa  as a pathway to reunite their family. Access the resource here.

Indigenous Business Handbook

Three students smiling holding the Indigenous Business Handbook

The Indigenous Business Handbook has been written, designed and researched by several thoughtful, talented and dedicated groups of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students at the School of Law and Justice at the University of Newcastle (Australia).This Handbook acknowledges the common struggles, and uncertainty faced, when starting a business; alongside the complex family and social pressures that business owners may encounter. The Handbook aims to provide useable legal tools informed by the recognition of Culture.

The Handbook was envisioned by Associate Professor Kevin Sobel-Read who also supervises the Project. Two remarkable students – Taylah Gray and Hannah Stenstrom – provided essential and foundational work as research assistants. The students listed within the Handbook contributed to the consultation, research and writing within the Special Interest Project Course, LAWS6091. The first iteration and launch of the Indigenous Business Handbook in July 2023 was facilitated by Kyiesha Faulkner, Sophie Amanatides and Victoria Gill. the full handbook can be accessed here.

As a living document, we encourage you to provide feedback and suggestions to inform further iterations of the Indigenous Business Handbook. Please contact Associate Professor Kevin Sobel-Read, Deputy Head of School, Director of Teaching and Learning, University of Newcastle School of Law and Justice