By Madeleine French
I sat down with Social Justice & Equity (SJE) Director Swathika Karthik for an interesting discussion about what the portfolio does and why SJE is so important for us as law students and potential lawyers.
So to start off, tell me a bit about your progression through the DLSS and what drew you to SJE.
In 2023 I was an SJE officer, and this year I am the director. All the portfolios do such incredible work but I think I was always drawn to this portfolio as my interests are more aligned with social justice and equity. For me it also stems from my personal and family history but migration and refugee law are my primary areas of interest. But in saying that I do love the scope that SJE has to offer. It is a relatively new portfolio so it brings a lovely contemporary focus, looking at current legal and social issues.
Can you tell me a bit about SJE’s focus and its role in the DLSS.
As the Social Justice & Equity portfolio is a relatively recent portfolio we are still developing initiatives and seeing what we can do with it. However, our primary role is to increase awareness of current legal and social issues and demonstrate how there’s an interplay between the two. We look to give students the opportunity to learn how they can contribute in that space, whether they see it as a primary career focus or not. It is such a diverse area and so I think it is so important for our portfolio to provide students with a range of opportunities to learn more. I think law can be perceived by many as a way to make money or create a ‘typical’ successful career, but I think it's so important to see law as a tool to advocate for change and this is what we hope to demonstrate through our events.
As director, what do you love about your portfolio and what do you hope to achieve?
Being a director does come with its challenges, as there is a lot to do, and I have 4 officers under me - Ben Smith, Keshavi Perera, Nitish Mathias and Don Ahas Kannangara - who are all incredible. So I think my team is a big thing, I love my team.
I love how rewarding the work is that we do. Last year, we held the Volunteering in the Law Expo and one of the students that attended actually got a job offer. I find things like that so rewarding. But also providing the space for law students to see that there is a focus on volunteering and social justice - outside of what you would typically envision law to be. Outside pressures can push you in different directions so it's important to show students that there are options that they might not have thought of.
Even if you are leaning towards working in the most prominent areas of law such as commercial, crime or family law, or for a big firm, there is always room to make an impact. It's important for students to know that it is equally important. Having the type of knowledge we have, which is above common knowledge, we’re in such a great position to really make that change.
What are some events you’ve held so far this year?
We held the Intersectionality in the Law Panel in March - that was our first event. We had 4 panelists from a wide range of fields. It was great to hear more about their work and how it is interconnected with their sexuality, how they identify and how they’ve overcome certain barriers. That was so insightful for students.
Our second event was the Deep Dive into the Migration Panel. This focused on crime adjacent law - so our panelists talked about how criminal law is impacted by migration law. We also had refugee law as a focus and had a professor of Deakin’s migration law unit sit in and weigh in on any academic input, which really extended the discussion and provided interesting context to the legal and social issues.
Your Volunteering in the Law Expo is coming up, can you tell me what we can look forward to?
Similar to last year, we will have community legal centres and firms that engage in volunteer work setting up stalls at Deakin Burwood campus. It is more of an interactive event so students will have the opportunity to engage with legal professionals, have a chat and get to know more about what they do and how they can potentially integrate SJE into their careers.
We will also have catering from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. This is a really cool initiative that we are participating in as we wanted to give back to the community to further our portfolio goals. The ASRC hires refugees to cater with a wide range of food options, so they get paid for the work too.
What else does SJE have planned for us this year?
We will have a handbook that will be published online soon, prior to the expo. It's something that students can refer to if they ever want to go back to read more on CLCs and firms that were in attendance. Therefore, students can have a read prior to going and ask any further questions in person. We also have additional perspectives from contributors who are unable to make the expo but wanted to provide us with more information on their work. It’ll be an amazing resource for students to go back to as they start to think about how they will develop their careers.
In the latter part of the year we will have a high-profile speaker for a keynote address. I am so excited for this so stay tuned on our socials for more information!
Do you have any advice for students who may be interested in volunteering or incorporating SJE into their careers?
Volunteering is an integral part of law. It's a great way to get your foot in the door - it's how I started. I’m in my final year now, but in my first and second years I volunteered with the ASRC and that was like a stepping stone for me. It helped me get positions after that including a paralegal role. It’s great for students to get some exposure and valuable experience.
It takes time to develop. I think it does take a second to see law as a tool rather than just a career. A career in law can be accustomed to be seen as a way to make money. But if you really delve into the impact that we can have as law students and potential lawyers it really is massive. The amount of knowledge that we have that could actually help create a greater impact is quite crazy, so that’s why I think it is so important to know that we can advocate for change.
Even if it's not something you want to be doing as your primary job, there is always a way to volunteer your time or contribute in that aspect. A lot of firms have a quota to meet in terms of the amount of pro bono hours they put in per lawyer. This is one way you can contribute and that way you still have your major career focus whilst also contributing to the community. However, you can also have a completely SJE focused career as well and you might be considering legal aid, where you're still getting paid but the work is more aimed towards the community. There is also work at places like refugee legal, ASRC or a migration firm, something crime adjacent, environmental law, animal rights law and so on. There is a wide range of ways you can contribute which can suit different lawyers in different ways, and so it's good to start thinking about what way you want to have an impact in your career.
For students the best way is to apply for volunteer positions at CLCs. They are always looking for volunteers to assist the solicitors so it can be quite easy to get a position. It is also beneficial to have this on a resume as it shows that you have some practical history and are committed to making change - at least that is what my interviewers have relayed to me. They think quite highly of volunteer experience.
Also being at uni at the same time, volunteering is a nice parallel as you get to see how the law that you learn can be put into practice. Even if it's not the area that you want to ultimately practice in, you can get an idea of what you are interested in or not interested in, whilst gaining valuable practical experience.