District Court Observation Program for Western Sydney University Students
DWL, in partnership with the Western Sydney Law Students’ Association, developed the District Court Observation Pilot Program, which offers 10 Western Sydney University (WSU) students who identify as diverse women a one-day placement at the District Court of New South Wales. The program is a fantastic opportunity for Diverse Women law students at WSU to gain practical experience in a litigious environment, explore career opportunities at the Courts and network with judges and associates.
Student Testimonials
Ysabelle Garcia, Third year bachelor of Law/Criminology Student at Western Sydney University
As a diverse student with a Filipino background, this opportunity provided by the Diverse Women in Law organisation was of significant benefit in allowing me to to learn and experience the District Court jurisdiction. In my placement, I was given the opportunity to be paired with Her Honour Judge Culver of the District Court. During the placement, I shadowed Judge Culver in an array of different court hearings ranging from severity appeals to trials with a jury and also judge alone trials.
This allowed me to oversee court procedures, observe court etiquette and understand the manner in which legal practitioners execute their submissions.
One significant highlight included the opportunity to join Judge Culver on the bench during the severity appeals and observe the decision-making process that was undertaken. This enabled me to observe the courtroom from a different atmosphere and obtain an intricate understanding of exercising a 'judicial mind' during her Honour's reasons. Whilst my experience within the courtroom enhanced my understanding of court procedures, a true highlight were the moments spent outside the courtroom. This provided me a “behind-the scenes” experience where I was able to join Judge Culver in her chambers and discuss the nature of the legal profession, including learning about different jurisdictions and the multitude of roles prevalent within the industry.
Overall, the opportunity to shadow and be mentored by Judge Culver has greatly enhanced my perception about the legal profession by providing me a practical glimpse into the role of a legal practitioner and has fuelled my ambition to learn, adapt and exercise my potential. I hope my experience demonstrates that the utility of this opportunity will be of functional merit for other diverse women studying law seeking to learn about the nature of the industry and legal professionalism.
