Contact us 1800 061 963 cdu.edu.au/study [email protected] First Nations Pre-Law Program OVERVIEW: Charles Darwin University (CDU) delivers a First Nations Pre-Law program commencing in January-February each year. The program is made up of two components; a 3.5-week full-time intensive pre-law program delivered on-campus at Darwin Waterfront, and an ongoing individual and group mentoring component. Intensive pre-law component: The CDU First Nations pre-law intensive provides a pathway into to the CDU Bachelor of Laws program, with the potential to commence law studies immediately after completion of the pre-law program. Delivered by a dedicated facilitator with both professional legal expertise and experience in delivering training and education to First Nations learners, the delivery and materials are tailored to meet the learning styles and needs of First Nations learners. In addition to the skills learnt during the pre-law program, it also assists you to be successful in your law studies by making you familiar and comfortable with the law environment and expectations for study. The relationships built with other pre-law students and lecturers will mean that you will have a support network from the very first day of law studies. Residential options are available if you do not have accommodation available in Darwin. Candidates do not pay tuition or accommodation fees for the intensive component of the program. Individual and group mentoring: In the second component of the program, CDU provides a mentor who actively supports the First Nations law students through to successful completion of their law degree. The mentor works with both individuals and with the group as a whole, fostering peer-to-peer support and learning. FIRST NATIONS PRE-LAW PROGRAM

NEED FOR THE PROGRAM The NT Law Society reports that only 2% (10 of 533) of legal practitioners in the NT are Indigenous. Only 2.5% of CDU law students are Indigenous. These figures stand in stark contrast to NT population figures; Indigenous people make up 30-35% of the NT population. Thus, Indigenous people are grossly underrepresented in both studying and practicing law in the NT. A similar Indigenous pre-law program was run at CDU (then NTU) in the 1990s. The Bilata program reports that 100% of current NT Indigenous practitioners from the NT came through that pre-law program. PROGRAM PARTNERSHIPS The program will work in partnership with the Bilata program run by the NT Law Society and the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, which works extensively with Indigenous high school students and encourages their participation in legal careers. School-based programs such as Clontarf and the Stars programs will refer school-leavers to the pre-law program. These partnerships will allow for a supported transition for Indigenous Year 12 students into the CDU law program. FIRST NATIONS PRE-LAW PROGRAM Contact us 1800 061 963 cdu.edu.au/study [email protected] CRICOS Provider No. 00300K (NT/VIC) | 03286A (NSW) | RTO Provider No. 0373 | TEQSA Provider ID PRV12069 Produced October 2022 | UniPrint 73524 COURSE STRUCTURE The program is highly interactive and focused around developing skills rather than simply acquiring knowledge. Lectures will demonstrate skills and use role plays, group work and active movement in the teaching environment. A spiral learning method will give you multiple opportunities to practice and demonstrate skills. Site visits to courts, parliament, law firms and government agencies such as DPP will help make the learning tangible. HOW TO APPLY If you have any questions or are interested in participating in the First Nations Pre-law intensive, please contact: Susan Bird Senior Lecturer in Law T: +61 8 8946 8864 E: [email protected] KEY SKILLS AND TEACHING APPROACH: The pre-law program focuses on 4 key skill areas: Critical thinking and legal argument Legal reading and research Legal Writing Public speaking and presentation. These skills will underpin the specific content that students will learn during their degree. 1 4 2 3