The Grange P-12 College is a state school in Hoppers Crossing, one of Victoria's most ethnically diverse areas.
Many of the students are from disadvantaged backgrounds.
"If you're a young person who is traumatised or doesn't know whether they're going to be in the same house this time next week, that has huge impacts on learning."
School Principal, David Smillie said he increasingly found he was being approached about issues that were completely unrelated to the school curriculum.
"A lot of those issues actually centre around family break-up, issues with relationships," Mr Smillie said.
"Sometimes it's around violence in the home."
The student population can be transient, with children sometimes forced to leave the school suddenly if their families are evicted from a rental property or their parent's relationship breaks down.
Rapid population growth in the area had also left many students geographically isolated, with public transport struggling to keep up with demand.
David said the lawyer helped students, and parents, with issues like transport fines, employment issues, tenancy disputes and homelessness.
"Part of my concern initially was people would assume that because we've got a lawyer, we've got a high criminal history rate here which is not necessarily the case."
"If you're a young person who is traumatised or doesn't know whether they're going to be in the same house this time next week, that has huge impacts on learning," David said.
The lawyer hired by the school, Vinnie Shin, is from the Western Community Legal Centre.
His two-year placement at the school has been funded by donations from philanthropic organisations, and a $10,000 grant from law firm Slater and Gordon.
"Young people and children are more involved with the legal system, more so than 20 years ago," Mr Vinnie told SBS.
"It's really important that there is this lawyer who is accessible."
Social worker Renee Dowling was one of the brains behind the school lawyer project.
She previously worked for the Department of Public Prosecutions, and saw where young people could end up without early intervention.
A school in Melbourne's south-west suburbs has become the first to put a lawyer on staff. (SBS) Source: SBS
She said there had been the occasional student involved in criminal cases, where Vinnie's assistance had prevented more serious outcomes.
But she said its help with other areas of law that is most commonly needed.
"Part of my concern initially was people would assume that because we've got a lawyer, we've got a high criminal history rate here which is not necessarily the case," Renee said.
"The sorts of issues we see families accessing our lawyers for are the same as anyone else."
"Such as mortgage distress, financial hardship, not being able to pay the bills," she explained.
"We've got certain families here on certain visas, their families aren't eligible for payments from Centrelink."
The Grange P-12 College's population is extremely ethnically diverse, with more than 58 nationalities represented.
David Smillie said changes to the school demographic had brought different challenges.
"In the last two to three years we've had lots of Horn of Africa families move in," he said.
"I think with any new group coming into the school, it's very difficult to adjust to how our community operates and often the law is a very significant part of that."
Renee Dowling said some of the issues for students from migrant backgrounds had been unexpected, such as employment law.
"We've got certain families here on certain visas, their families aren't eligible for payments or Centrelink," she said.
"So their children are often strongly encouraged to go and work and because there is that pressure there, they'll accept conditions that perhaps less vulnerable children would stand up and say, 'hey that's not ok'," Renee said.
"That's been a real eye-opener."
And there had been other unexpected issues as well.
"...such as arranged marriages and those sorts of things," she said.
"It's a first for us and it's a first for the school lawyer as well," she said.
Part of the success of the school lawyer program had been Vinnie Shin's accessibility.
Vinnie is into boxing, rides a motorbike to school and doesn't wear a suit.
"They have this presumption that lawyers, you have to pay, they're expensive, they're not approachable,"
"It's an us and them mentality sometimes and we're hoping to break that stereotype," Vinnie said.
The school is now looking at putting a GP and dentist on staff.
"I think the most powerful schools that are successful are those schools that really work with their communities and acknowledge the issues and provide support," David Smillie said.
