Posted May 2004 Law Week 2004
		Sarah Brierley Learning Place Mentor Fraser-Cooloola District Legal Studies students in 15 high schools have had the opportunity to chat with law experts, including solicitors, barristers, university lecturers and an ex-prison guard, during Law Week.

"Text books are great, but adding a real-world perspective for students brings text books alive," Sarah Brierley says.

Sarah wanted to find a way to connect her Legal Studies students with experts in the law.

Sarah believed an online event would be the way to go. She contacted Anthony Gray, author of the widely-used text Legal Studies in Action. Then, through the Queensland University of Technology website, Sarah emailed a number of other law experts. Eleven experts volunteered to act as guests in an online event held during Law Week.

The Learning Place provided the tools for students and guests to communicate, through online chats and forums. In a specially set up Project Room, a chat room for each guest gave students the opportunity to choose which guest they wanted to contact, discuss issues with and ask questions of.

"More than 300 students registered to chat with the voluntary guests on topics such as criminal law, punishment and sentencing, family law and individual research topics," Sarah says.

Sarah says that students were able to interact with people they would not normally get the chance to meet. "Especially for country students, this is very valuable. They had conversations around controversial current topics with experts in the field. As well, they talked to Legal Studies students from other schools.

"Teachers gained a valuable resource to use in the classroom. "And because the guests volunteered their time, the event was at no cost to schools," Sarah says.

The online event will take place again in 2005. "Every school that took part said they wanted it again," Sarah says. "The best thing about it is its portability: any school and any student can take part and get absolutely up-to-date information."