Like most things on the Internet, Twitter can be a brilliant procrastination aid. But social media isn’t just about sharing pictures of your lunch or images of cats doing funny things. Twitter is teeming with legal news and opinions, and there are plenty of legal minds worth following…
Twitter is a great way to discuss and keep up to date with new legislation and recent court decisions. Lawyers, firms, law reform commissions, courts, AustLII (@austlii) and even the Australian Legally Blonde musical (@LegallyBlondeOz) are sharing their news and views.
Plenty of law schools and law students' societies are tweeting, and there's a good chance a few of your lecturers are on Twitter too! If you’re a budding human rights lawyer, Monash University law lecturer Melissa Castan (@MsCastan) is definitely worth following, and while we don't think that Professor Snarky (@ProfSnarky) teaches law, the Prof's tweets provide a good insight into what markers look for in our assignments. Follow the Australian Law Students' Association (@ALSAonline) for updates on national law student issues.
In addition to mastering the art of precise and concise communication, Twitter is also a great way to make connections. Start talking to lawyers and academics working in an area you’re passionate about – it’s a good way to network or even find a mentor.
If it's work experience that you're after, look for the many community legal centres and law firms sharing opportunities, news and legal updates in 140 characters. Our top picks for this category are the National Association of Community Legal Centres (@NACLCComms), Social Justice Opportunities (@SJOpps), and Marque Lawyers (@marquelawyers) for the firm's offbeat take on news events.
In what must be some kind of Twitter record, Michael Kirby (@HonMichaelKirby) has amassed a whopping 7,000+ followers without having ever tweeted a single character! Still, we live in hope. Fortunately, barrister Julian Burnside (@JulianBurnside), another law student favourite, tweets on a regular basis.
And because we can't think and read about the law all the time (crazy, I know), I recommend following Very Short Story (@VeryShortStory), which is Twitter-sized fiction – ideal for law students without time to read novels!
Need more suggestions? Check out Amicae Curiae's epically long list of Australian Legal Tweeters. Oh, and Survive Law (@survivelaw) is also on Twitter – I hear those guys are kind of cool.
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