Filling in the gaps: Australian pracademics creating social justice impact in a criminal justice setting

In 2018, the Monash University Faculty of Law launched the Eleos Anti-Death Penalty Clinic (the Clinic) in partnership with Capital Punishment Justice Project, a non-government organisation focused on abolishing the death penalty. Students are given the opportunity to work on death row cases, policy briefs and United Nations submissions. Clinical legal education (CLE) has been a feature of experiential learning at Monash Law for over 40 years; however, the Clinic marked a shift towards creating social justice impact on a global level with international partners. CLE involves students in ‘learning by doing’ and engaging in structured reflection on their experiences. Criminal justice issues are prominent in CLE, both at Monash and more generally, with students involved in direct casework as well as criminal justice reform initiatives. Students are closely and supportively supervised by ‘pracademics’ with legal practice and subject-matter expertise. In the process of serving clients and partner organisations, students develop their capacity for justice-driven ethical legal practice. This chapter discusses the development of the Clinic. It examines the design and role the Clinic has played in increasing the social awareness of students. The chapter concludes with reflections how CLE can affect social and legal change on a global platform.