AFTER twelve years practicing family law and working at Legal Aid in Perth, Colin James has gone back to university.

He is Murdoch University’s new Assistant Director of the Southern Communities Advocacy, Legal and Education Service (SCALES).

SCALES is a community centre, staffed by law students who offer free legal advice and in some cases minor assistance supervised by solicitors.

Mr James said Murdoch was one of a handful of law schools in Australia that offer their students this sort of practical training.

“We deal with common dilemmas in a range of areas including tenancy, immigration, family, domestic violence, civil and criminal law,” he said.

“This sort of experience is highly valued by law firms as it shows that students have already gone through the horror of first client interactions and have some experience of law in practice. The students have to face the sort of conflicts lawyers cope with in a society divided by class, poverty, gender and discrimination.”

Mr James said that the position was a good mix of teaching and practice, providing an opportunity to stay in touch with new developments in law and applying it in ways that help people on a day to day basis.

In particular, Mr James hopes his new position will provide opportunities to blend his research interests with practice at SCALES.

He is currently completing a PhD on the history of masculinity in Australian law at the University of Western Australia. The research analyses behaviours and attitudes affected by the changing laws about marriage and divorce during the twentieth century.