Become a UTS: Law Research Assistant
Why become a research assistant?
Becoming a research assistant to a member of Faculty is an excellent opportunity to polish your legal research skills and increase your exposure to a particular area of law. It will also allow you to cultivate a relationship with an academic. An academic for whom you have worked as a research assistant will be well-placed to provide potential employers with letters of recommendation about your talents and abilities. Research assistants also often benefit from the mentoring by their academic supervisors, who may offer advice on employment opportunities and how to develop professional networks in the relevant field. Not only can this be a valuable experience, but it differentiates you from other graduates when pursuing employment or postgraduate study overseas.
The tasks of the research assistant may be quite varied:
- Research cases, legislation, bills and treaties
- Conduct literature searches for journal articles, second reading speeches or relevant reports
- Prepare casenotes or summaries of a particular area of the law
- Edit academic work for publication, especially bringing legal citation into correct format
How to become a research assistant?
Academics are often looking for good research assistants. You might aim to bring yourself to notice in an area of interest by taking an elective or the research thesis/paper subject in your preferred field.
Also, we encourage UTS:Law students to register your details with the program StudentJobs@UTS. This online registration allows students to create a detailed employment profile including previous work history, industry experience, current availability and job interest. UTS:Law academics may consult this database to find research assistants, as the opportunity arises. You may signal your desire to be considered for work as research assistant and other jobs at UTS.
Students should note that research assistant work might not always be available.
