Jimin Song

Supporting International Students’ Transition to Australian Legal Study

Starting law in a new country means learning a new legal system, and often a new history and political system, at the same time. Building on the work of the current International Student Officer and the Education portfolio, I will host Australia 101, a panel event for students who haven’t studied Australian history or politics before. An academic will speak on the history behind units like Ngura and Foundations of Law, including First Nations laws and ngura (Country), colonisation and the development of the Australian legal system. It will complement the unit-focused sessions Education runs, and I will develop it in consultation with Law School staff and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and staff, so the content is accurate and respectful. English is a second language for many of us, so long judgments full of unfamiliar legal terms and complex sentences can be hard to interpret. I will host a panel where senior international students share how they read these cases both efficiently and accurately. They will cover how to break down long sentences, work out unfamiliar terms, find the facts, the issue and the reasoning, and check they have understood a case correctly before relying on it in an on-call or exam.

My goal is to SHINE a light on the path ahead, so every international student starts their first year prepared, not just surviving.

Strengthening Pathways to a First Legal Job

For international students, landing a first legal job is about more than grades. It is about knowing when applications open, what the work involves and who has done it before. Building on the careers chapter of the International Student Guide, and having worked as a paralegal at two firms and interned in an international law team while studying, I know how much easier the search is with the right information and the right people. I will host a panel with international student paralegals and alumni who share how they landed their first legal role, focusing on how they found their job, what the interviews were like, what the day-to-day work involves and how they balanced it with study.

In collaboration with Careers, I will publish a guide mapping seasonal internship programs and clerkship applications for international students. Not every firm is open to international students, and it is not always clear which ones are. The guide will therefore list which firms accept international applicants, especially for clerkships, so no one spends weeks on an application they cannot progress. Because many of us also want careers abroad, the guide will outline major firms internationally and when their clerkship-equivalent programs open.

My goal is to let the stars who came before us SHINE, lighting the way so no international student misses an opportunity simply because they didn’t know it existed.

Connecting international students across SULS

Law school life is so much easier with friends by your side, but it is NOT always clear where to start. I will establish an international student buddy program pairing first-years with senior students, so every new student has someone who has already been through their first tutorial and exam period. I will also revive the SULS International Facebook group and Messenger chat as one place where students hear about events first, swap tips on everything from readings to settling in, and get to know each other. Because some of you may prefer to ask questions privately, I will pair the group chat with an anonymous question form, with answers posted regularly on our Instagram stories.

To bring everyone together, I will bring back Law Fusion during Harmony Week. Stalls run by students and cultural societies, food from around the world, performances, and a fun fact about each home country’s legal system at every stall. It will be open to every international and domestic student.

A lot of us are shy about rocking up to events, especially when it feels like everyone else already knows each other, and it is easy to feel left out of the society. That is why I will introduce the SULS International Passport, a goal to work towards and a reason to take that first step. Collect stamps by attending SULS events, and complete a few simple challenges along the way to earn a small gift.

Ultimately, I want our international community to SHINE with warmth, a place where every student feels included and wants to come back.