The Alternative Law Journal (Alt.LJ) is a quarterly, refereed law journal published by the Legal Service Bulletin Co-operative Ltd in Melbourne, Australia.
The Alt.LJ is administered by volunteers, is independent of any organisation or political party, and is self funding, with some support provided by the Monash University Law Faculty in Melbourne, where the journal is based.
The Alternative Law Journal was first published in 1974 as the Legal Service Bulletin by the Fitzroy Legal Service in Melbourne, Australia. The journal grew and now has a much wider readership beyond the community legal centres. The name was changed in 1992 to better reflect its goals and readership. The goals of the Alt.LJ can be broadly described as:
- promotion of social justice, human rights and law reform issues
- critique of the legal system
- monitoring developments in alternative practice
- community legal education.
The Alternative Law Journal provides resources for both secondary and tertiary legal studies teachers and students.
- Legal Studies Column is published regularly, providing a class exercise based on an article published in the Journal. The exercises are prepared by legal studies teachers for secondary legal studies students.
- Legal Issues Resource Kits: these compilations of articles from the Journal are grouped by topic, and are often used by teachers, and students studying specific areas of law. Recent kits include topic such as Sexuality and the Law, Family Law, Human Rights and Prisons.
Famous quotes containing the words alternative, law and/or journal:
“Our mother gives us our earliest lessons in love—and its partner, hate. Our father—our “second other”Melaborates on them. Offering us an alternative to the mother-baby relationship . . . presenting a masculine model which can supplement and contrast with the feminine. And providing us with further and perhaps quite different meanings of lovable and loving and being loved.”
—Judith Viorst (20th century)
““If the law supposes that,” said Mr. Bumble, squeezing his hat emphatically in both hands, “the law is a ass—a idiot. If that’s the eye of the law, the law is a bachelor; and the worst I wish the law is, that his eye may be opened by experience—by experience.””
—Charles Dickens (1812–1870)
“How truly does this journal contain my real and undisguised thoughts—I always write it according to the humour I am in, and if a stranger was to think it worth reading, how capricious—insolent & whimsical I must appear!—one moment flighty and half mad,—the next sad and melancholy. No matter! Its truth and simplicity are its sole recommendations.”
—Frances Burney (1752–1840)