L-R: Shann Preece, Sam Marsh, Hannah Jover Stavropoulos
Sam Marsh is a champion volunteer at Marrickville Legal Centre who recently finished Practical Legal Training. Sam came through our doors in earlier this year with an interest in Family Law and the Youth Legal Service, and finally fell into MLC’s Family Law Service.
A mother of two, Sam took an interest in legal in 2008. By 2009 she had been accepted to do Commerce/Law double degree, although her true passion was law. A few years later there were stirrings again, and Sam was accepted to study straight Law in 2013.
In her first year of law school, Sam joined the Western Sydney University Law Students Association as Student Officer. As the first ever Mature Age Student (‘MAS’) Officer of the Law Students Association, her role was focused on student health & wellbeing, and mature age law students. By her penultimate year, Sam became General Manager of Law Students Association. During this time, she pioneered a legacy workshop for mature age students that would help them manage the complexity of juggling work life and study. With the assistance of a senior lecturer at Western Sydney University, Sam facilitated the workshop covering topics such as stress and time management. The 3 hour course was so warmly received, WSU Law School adopted Sam’s prototype to begin facilitating the course ongoingly for the entire law school student body.
For all of Sam’s achievements, it’s been tough breaking into professional life as a mature-age junior solicitor. Close to her graduation in 2018, Sam approached a legal recruitment specialist to ask for counsel. She asked, “How can mature age students be more attractive to prospective employers?” The response she received was “All you can do is tailor your personal brand to reflect the corporate brand of where you’re applying. We normally prefer younger applicants.”
Sam is now well-established in the Community Legal sector working at Western Sydney CLC as Legal Intake Officer looking after a team of ten, and continues to volunteer at Marrickville Legal Centre.
What’s next? Sam is ready for a graduate role and hopes to complete the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions’ Legal Development Program for law graduates.
Thank you for being a vibrant part of our community, Sam.
If you’d like to do your PLT at MLC, you can apply here.
