ABSTRACT
Emerging practices and developments in Australia for how legal services, legal education and the legal system can better respond to community need are examined. The text shares some innovative approaches, demonstrated effective practice, changes in culture and practice approaches and the necessary skills and techniques to work in these new ways effectively. This chapter's aim is for this text to be a useful resource for law students considering becoming legal professionals. It identifies educational opportunities that could better equip students for practicing law in a changing and challenging world, where interpersonal skills and collaboration will be critical for successful employment. Emerging research suggests that such approaches are reaching those who are excluded and that different ways of working are making inroads. Implementing these approaches further, however, is not easy. It involves assessing appropriateness and requires local knowledge and understanding of the complexity of human behaviour in context.
