Newcastle Law on the Beach celebrates 13 years

Novocastrians (from Newcastle) needing legal advice are encouraged to tap into the expertise of the University of Newcastle‘s Legal Centre as they run Law on the Beach, a free community legal advice service.
Now in its 13^th year, Law on the Beach runs for five days over summer, bringing law school students and lawyers from their King Street building to Newcastle beach.

For the first time, this year a student from the university’s social work program will be part of every group of law students offering advice.
Law on the Beach allows later year law students and social work students to gain practical experience towards their degrees as they work to help members of the community.
A student-run program, Law on the Beach, has provided free legal advice to hundreds of clients in a very Novocastrian setting.
This practical program is one of the many ways the University of Newcastle Law School develops experienced, sought-after legal graduates.
Director of the University of Newcastle Legal Centre Shaun McCarthy said all members of the community were welcome to visit the legal clinic for free advice, but this year the Centre was focusing on the younger members of the Newcastle community.
“Often young people do not have the life experience or resources to stand up for themselves in a matter involving the law. We aim to change that by providing a casual setting to have that legal conversation,” he said.
All questions and cases are welcome by the legal clinic team, from traffic fines to employment discrimination and everything in between. This year, the clinic will run Jan. 19 and 28; and Feb. 2, 9 and 16 at the Newcastle Surf Club on Newcastle Beach.