Ten years ago, solicitor Terri Janke started Terri Janke & Company - a company specialising in indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights.

Born in Cairns, with family connections to both the Torres Strait Islands (Meriam) and Cape York Peninsula (Wutathi), Janke was concerned that copyright and intellectual property issues for indigenous artists and indigenous people had been overlooked, so she set up her company to provide solutions for those artists to protect their traditional knowledge and to guard their cultural identity.

A small company of just two lawyers, Janke explains how, compared to 15 years ago when people would use indigenous art or knowledge without the artist's consent, people now seek permission to use the artwork or material created by indigenous people by entering into an agreement - and it is mostly those agreements that her company deals with.

Behind Janke's day-to-day work is a passion and drive to strengthen indigenous people's status and social justice. "I really believe that indigenous art and culture and knowledge is pretty much a part of my life and a part of all indigenous people's life and I really think it hasn't been given enough recognition," Janke says.

"I think if the law can in some way play a part in advancing those rights and the status of indigenous art, culture and heritage [then it is] a good fit for me."

Janke strongly believes that by advancing indigenous people's status through the law, she can help to strengthen their place in the wider community. And although there have been challenges along the way, Janke has received a lot of support from other indigenous people.

"The business side of things is really challenging. You really have to be flexible. But I got a lot of support from indigenous people when I first started and that was good, but sometimes it's difficult," she explains.

"I actually really like helping people resolve problems. Trying to assist [indigenous people] with solutions, I guess is what has always drawn me to this."

Travelling overseas and talking at international events are just some of the highlights about Janke's work, but she says some of the more interesting work she's been involved in includes acting for an artist commissioned by Balarinji Designs and Qantas, as well as being involved with a large museum in Paris - the Musee du quai Branly - where Aboriginal artworks are placed in the architectural skin of the building.

Currently, Janke is working as a consultant to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), helping with the legal protection of traditional cultural expression at the Festival of Pacific Arts, which is held in the South Pacific every four years. Janke explains that the protection of traditional knowledge is currently being debated in the intergovernmental committee at the WIPO and she is involved in the promotion of benefit sharing and encouraging economic opportunities for indigenous people.

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- Briana Everett