Meet Victoria's next generation of community lawyers
30 March 2026
The second round of Women’s Legal Service Victoria (Women’s Legal) Emerging Lawyers Program is officially underway with participating lawyers from across Victoria coming together in Melbourne for their first training intensive.
The Emerging Lawyers Program sets up new lawyers for a successful legal career while improving access to family violence and family law support across Victoria. Over 18-months, eight lawyers will gain hands-on experience and specialist training in family law and family violence while working at community legal centres (CLCs) across regional Victoria. An additional seven lawyers from across the sector are also taking part in the development training.
The first intensive with the Emerging Lawyers ran over seven days at Leo Cussen Centre for Law in Melbourne and online. The Emerging Lawyers heard from program alumni and sector leaders, while also building their expertise across family law, family violence, trauma-informed practice and managing wellbeing and self-care.
The Emerging Lawyers told us they were excited to come together and start learning more practical skills around family law and family violence.
I’m really looking forward to developing connections with other people that are working all across the state and that are moving through a similar experience.
The Emerging Lawyers have now returned to their community legal centres to start putting their training into practice. They will return to Melbourne for their second training intensive in June.
Life-changing support, meeting people where they are at
The legal support Emerging Lawyers provide is often life-changing.
During the first round of the program, over 3,000 people from across Victoria received support from lawyers in the program.