A collaborative initiative of UTS Faculty of Law and the UTS Law Students’ Society

The Brennan Justice and Leadership Program facilitates UTS Law students to develop their sense of service and knowledge of social justice through community service and reflections on justice. These two components are called Leadership Through Service (LTS) hours and Reflections on Justice (ROJ) points.

Upon completion of these two components, a student will receive recognition for the Brennan Justice and Leadership Program Award at an end-of-year ceremony. All students enrolled in a Law course are welcome to register for this free, voluntary program at any stage of their degree and are not required to finish the program if they do not wish to take out the award.

Students can use this page as a resource to understand the rules and conditions of the Brennan Program.

On this page

Program Objectives

  1. The Brennan Program aims to develop each student’s capacity for personal and professional leadership.
  2. Offers an outlet for students to find a sense of wellbeing, fulfilment and satisfaction in their studies and later professional work, and
  3. Strengthens students’ social justice awareness.

Components of the program

1. Reflections on Justice (ROJ) 

Reflections on Justice (ROJ) encourages students to submit written reflections on themes of social justice.

The process of reflective writing invites students to bring their personal opinions, learnings, and transformative insights into their educational experience. 

Students may submit reflections in response to Justice Talks, external events, discussion groups, books, podcasts, TV series, news articles, and more. A detailed breakdown of the point system is below. 

For the ROJ component, the following conditions apply:

    1. Brennan students must complete 100 ROJ Points.
    2. Points are accumulated throughout a student’s degree via the submission of ROJ forms in CareerHub.
    3. Artificial Intelligence (CoPilot, Claude, ChatGPT, etc.) are not accepted for any part of a ROJ submission. All reflective writing pieces will be placed into AI detection software.
    4. Writing, either AI generated or not, that does not present itself as ‘reflective writing’ will be rejected. A member of the Brennan Administration team will contact the student to discuss the issues and request a new submission.  
    5. All ROJ forms are subject to approval and are not automatically sent for ROJ Points.
    6. For an external event to be approved for ROJ, it must be centered on a topic of social justice. For example, a book launch about a book that addresses the themes of racism, inequality, or sexism would be appropriate. An event highlighting a clerkship event at a law firm is not appropriate for ROJ.

2. Leadership Through Service (LTS)

Leadership Through Service (LTS) encourages students to contribute to community needs through self-initiated, voluntary service.

This service and leadership component can be accrued in both legal and non-legal settings and can include exciting opportunities for ongoing advocacy.

From 2026, the number of hours required to complete the Brennan Program is pro-rated at the equivalent of 30 hours per course year.

 

Degree length LTS hours required
5 year Degree 150 hours
4 year Degree 120 hours
3 year Degree 90 hours
Minimum 90 hours

 

1. For the LTS component, the following conditions apply:

      1. Service must be voluntary, except for reimbursement costs such as travel and meal allowances
      2. Service must be undertaken within not-for-profit (NFP) organisations, in pro-bono projects, or for charities and community services.
      3. The service must not attract academic credit or count towards any professional qualification such as under the professional experience requirement for admission as a legal practitioner, or
      4. It cannot involve volunteering for a political party or a member of parliament.

2. Activities that are not recognised as eligible LTS hours for the Brennan Program:

      1. Volunteering as a research assistant with a private law firm.
      2. Working without pay for businesses that operate for-profit
      3. Being paid by your employer to complete community service work as part of your annual remuneration, and
      4. Volunteering or campaigning work for a registered political party.

3. Students may volunteer:

      1.  Across a range of positions in a broad range of service areas.
      2. In a service that does not relate to the law, for example, youth groups or community radio stations.
      3. In the UTS LSS or other student society. However, students are encouraged to expand their community volunteering to ensure at least 25% is allocated to external community organisations, to reflect the aims of the Brennan Program.

3. Capping ROJ and LTS Points

The Brennan Program encourages sustained accumulation of volunteer and reflective experiences to instil an enduring ethic of service. Due to this, the Brennan Program does not allow students to complete the program in less than 12 months.

The following caps apply to all Brennan Program Students:

    1. All students must complete 100 ROJ points to complete the program. The minimum timeframe a student can complete the ROJ component is 18 months.
    2. Students cannot complete 100% of their LTS hours in one 12-month period. No more than 75% of a student’s service hours can be completed during this 12-month period.

4. Submission of ROJ and LTS Forms

    1. All students must submit ROJ and LTS forms via their CareerHub Brennan Workflow.
    2. No email forms will be accepted.
    3. Access to the workflow is automatic upon submission of the Brennan Registration Form.
    4. Leadership Through Service Hour forms must be accompanied by a Confirmation of Service form, signed by a volunteer coordinator.
    5. ROJ submissions require attachments in either PDF or .doc format.
    6. This video explains how to lodge ROJ and LTS hours in CareerHub.

Artificial Intelligence and Writing Submissions

  1. No AI writing software is accepted in the Brennan Program.
  2. All writing is placed in AI detection software.
  3. The Brennan Program Administrators will reach out to students suspected of using AI, and students will be asked to resubmit.

AHEGS – Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement

  1. Students who complete both the LTS and ROJ components of the Brennan Justice and Leadership Program are eligible to have the award listed on their AHEGS. This is completed by the Law Student Programs Team who will act to identify eligible students and manage the award inclusion. Students do not need to apply for this award to appear on their AHEGS.

Claiming Deadlines

  1. There are three claiming deadlines for the Brennan Program occurring in January, March, and July. These deadlines apply to students nearing their course completion, who are close to the final session of enrollment, and is the final date students can submit LTS and ROJ forms to fulfil the Brennan Programs components.
  2. Submission of forms by the claim deadline ensures AHEGS is updated and the student is invited to the Law Awards Ceremony.
  3. To stay up-to-date on claiming deadlines, students should check their UTS student emails for notifications from the Brennan Administration Team or email BrennanProgram@uts.edu.au for an approximate date.

Brennan Program Activities and Award Recognition

 

Activity Description Points Required
Brennan Program Justice Talks Brennan Program Justice Talks are either online or in-person events hosted by the Faculty of Law, the Law Students’ Society, and the Brennan Program. 5 ROJ per event Name marked off during the event by the Brennan Program Administration Team
External Events Any event a student attends on their own initiative, provided that the event has a strong connection to a social justice topic. 5 ROJ per event 150-word description of the event plus proof of attendance. A proof of attendance is a screenshot of a ticket, Zoom event, or a photograph of the event.
Brennan Program Discussion Groups A 5-week student-led session-long discussion group. 20 ROJ 5 x 300-word reflections. Students can register for a Discussion Group at the start of session. Keep an eye on your email for an invitation to apply.
Brennan Book Program A list of books curated yearly by Brennan Staff 10-20ROJ 700-word reflection accrues 10 ROJ, and a 1000-word reflection accrues 20ROJ
EmpowerED Leadership Module A self-paced 12-module online learning experience teaching leadership, social justice, and community connection. 20 ROJ Accessible through the Brennan Workflow in CareerHub
Competitions and Skills Negotiations and legal competitions Up to 20 ROJ 500-word reflection plus proof of participation.
Mooting A Faculty-led Moot. 40 LTS Students who do not take the mooting elective for 6cp, and are registered in the Brennan Program, are eligible for 40 LTS hours for their mooting participation.
Red Cross Lifeblood A blood or plasma donation with Red Cross Lifeblood 3 LTS for blood donation
5 LTS for plasma donation		 A selfie at your donation or a screenshot of your LifeBlood app.

 

 

Communication Methods

Throughout a student’s registration in the Brennan Program, various volunteering opportunities, events, and articles of interest are shared. Keeping up-to-date with these opportunities is a crucial part of completing the Brennan Program and accessing exclusive volunteer opportunities. The Brennan Administration Team communicate with students via:

  1. Canvas Brennan Program Digital Noticeboard – for ongoing communications about events, last-minute volunteering opportunities, and articles of interest for Brennan Students. If you are new to the Brennan Program, please email BrennanProgram@uts.edu.au to be added to this noticeboard before the census date. After the census date, all students newly registered in the Brennan program are automatically uploaded.
  2. The Brennan Bulletin – the major Brennan Program Newsletter, right to your inbox with information and updates to the Brennan Program. This is an official communication students can expect to receive regarding big announcements, e.g. Brennan Justice Talks and the Law Tech Challenge opening application period.
  3. Facebook via the Brennan Collective.

Got a Question? 

Contact the Brennan Program Administrators in the Faculty of Law via BrennanProgram@uts.edu.au. 

Contact us

 

Students seeking advice from the Brennan co-Directors should email the relevant email address: