Inspired by the Rebellious Lawyering conferences in the USA and UK, the Rebellious Lawyering Conference Australia: Movement Lawyering for Social Change brought together lawyers, law students, community organisers and storytellers to explore how we can transform the Australian legal profession to better support grassroots movements for systemic change. 

The inaugural conference was held on 24-25 September 2021 and was a huge success, with 700 people registering. The theme of the conference was ‘shifting power’ – that is, shifting power towards, and building the power of, communities and movements. The Conference featured sessions on movement lawyering, first nations justice, climate justice, prison abolition, strategic advocacy, international movement lawyering and funding for change.