20 April 2006
Ms Helen Yandell has been appointed Director of the Springvale Monash Legal Service.
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| Associate Professor Adrian Evans (left) and Professor Mark Davison, from the Monash Law School, welcome Ms Helen Yandell as new director of the Springvale Monash Legal Service. |
Ms Yandell, who took up her appointment in last month, joins Monash University after working for the Western Suburbs Legal Service for the past four years and in education for most of her career.
She said she had worked mostly with disadvantaged people and in the community sector, which eventually led to her decision to study law.
"I saw injustices in the law for that section of the community, which made me want to study law and try and address some of these issues.
"Being able to combine teaching with legal practice here at the Springvale Monash Legal Service (SMLS) seemed like a great opportunity to merge my passions and expertise.
"My belief is that the practice of community law has a lot to offer people within our community, and the legal profession more generally. I look forward to passing these values on to students and to offer them an alternative to private practice."
Ms Yandell said the SMLS was doing a great job in the community by providing legal advice to those who would otherwise be unable to access the law and by getting involved in local community activities.
"As I get to know these activities, I would like to ensure there are no gaps we could be addressing."
"The service is also involved with the Federation of Community Legal Centres -- which I chaired for the past three years -- so I will endeavour to continue to build these links so we can tackle broad legal issues together with other centres around Victoria and Australia," she said.
SMLS is operated by Monash's Law School. Law students and graduates provide legal advice and run files under the supervision of qualified solicitors. Free legal advice is offered to those unable to afford private legal assistance or who cannot access the system because of a language barrier or other disadvantage.
The Monash Law School established the SMLS and the Monash Oakleigh Legal Service in the early 1970s. Their establishment meant Monash became the first Australian university to offer hands-on, practical legal training for its law students. The two services were also among Australia's first free, community legal aid organisations.
For further information contact Ms Yandell on +61 3 9562 3144 Ms Natasha Whalley, Media Communications on +61 3 9905 9201 or 0437 458 457.
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