Academics can be described as professional thinkers. They teach, research, speak, lead and innovate.

Legal academics are storehouses of legal knowledge. Their job is to analyse the law and point out the strengths and shortcomings of legislation, regulations and court decisions so that we can understand how the law works in our society and how it might improve. Academics provide a significant contribution to the key participants in our legal community including judges, practising lawyers, legal scholars and law students. They also provide legal information and legal education to us as members of the wider general community. Australian legal academics have also traditionally had close ties with community legal aid services providing an important voluntary service so that those members of the community who are not able to meet the costs of private legal services may still have access to legal advice and representation.

This Legal Guide on the Role of Academics provides readers with information about the role of legal academics. Please select from our Articles, FAQ and Questions & Answers sections all written by experienced lawyers. Our Glossary helps explain the meaning of any words you are unsure about. You can also Ask a Lawyer a question yourself. It is free and anonymous.

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