Social Justice

Welcome to the Social Justice Portfolio

UTS and the UTS Law Students’ Society is committed to promoting equal access to wealth, health, well-being, privileges, and opportunity under the law. We do this through various education, networking, awareness and social initiatives that highlight the various social justice issues plaguing the law. The Social Justice Portfolio offers a multitude of ways for law students to engage with the principles of justice, and consider the impact of barriers that face minority communities.

The intersectionality of social justice and law is a core element of reflection and action throughout the law school experience and beyond. The Social Justice Portfolio is one of the biggest in the LSS, encompassing Equity, the invaluable Brennan Program, and representative directorships for women, First Nations, LGBTQIA+ and disabled communities.

We highly recommend you get involved with the abundance of initiatives in the Social Justice calendar below, and if you would like to get in touch or make your own suggestions, you can contact the Vice President (Social Justice) at vpsj@utslss.com at any time.

Conferences

The Social Justice Conference is a highlight of the Spring Semester. Panellists and Keynote speakers from legal, political and social justice backgrounds address contemporary issues, with discussions driven by student engagement. 

In addition, we have had great success with the 2023 Intervarsity Women in Law Conference focusing on gender bias in techlaw and the Equity x Wellbeing panel, which emphasises the importance of finding a balance and reflecting on your own personal wellbeing and mental health, especially as a law student. Industry professionals discuss the challenges pertinent to our student community and beyond.

Justice Action Committee

The Justice Action Committee (JAC) applications open in February/March 2024. This official UTS LSS sub-committee meets monthly and is dedicated to assisting the Brennan and Equity Directors and our new Representative positions in the organisation and execution of all the initiatives that fall within the portfolio. The JAC also runs their own initiative, Social Justice Awareness Week. It is an awesome way to get involved and enhance your law student experience!

Brennan Justice and Leadership Program

The Brennan Justice and Leadership Program is a joint initiative between the UTS LSS and the UTS Faculty of Law, honouring the central role of social justice at UTS Law. Leadership through Service (LTS) Hours, and Reflections on Justice (ROJ) Points are achieved through student volunteering, and deep reflection on wide-reaching areas of justice.

The program offers initiatives to gain LTS and ROJ such as Justice Talks, Discussion Groups, RASA Week, and the Westmead Arts and Crafts Drive. In 2023, Brennanite of the Month, was introduced as a way to highlight outstanding student engagement with the program, and the Public Speaking Society x Brennan Program Public Speaking Competition. Students who take out the award will have this recognised on their AHEG Statement. The program is the only one of its kind across all Australian law schools, and shows UTS Law’s commitment to social justice.

Subsidies and Equity Schemes

There are a number of equity schemes run by the UTS LSS to assist students experiencing financial difficulty. The Textbook Equity Scheme loans textbooks to students upon proof of financial hardship, and the University Essentials Scheme offers support to students in obtaining resources.

This year, we are offering students the opportunity to donate their relevant textbooks to the Textbook Equity Scheme. Equity Subsidies are offered to eligible students for First Year Law Camp, Law Cruise and Law Ball. Applications for these initiatives are shared via UTS LSS social media channels throughout the year!

For any questions regarding our equity schemes please contact our Equity Director at equity@utslss.com

Women’s Collective

Winning a 2023 National Award from ALSA, the Women’s Collective is a great success story of leveraging our passionate student body to give back to our community through charity events like the Walk for WAGEC (raising over $5.5k for the Women and Girls Emergency Centre) and sharing resources and opportunities for women in UTS Law to get the most out of their time during their degree and beyond.

If you identify as female or gender-diverse, you are more than welcome to join our Facebook Community Group.