University of Melbourne’s Caitlin Edwards balances doing her JD with having an active interest in college life and participating in work experience. Caitlin is the equality director of the Melbourne University Law Students’ Society and she is also a tutor at the university. She volunteers for Youthlaw, is completing a Constitutional Law Internship with the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet and was also awarded the Herbert Smith Freehills JD Award for top student in the 2012 first year group.

Monash University’s Roberta Foster successfully clinched a spot on Minter Ellison’s 2014 Graduate Program after she completed a clerkship at the firm. The JD student also currently works as a legal research assistant at Justitia Lawyers & Consultants, who nominated her for this Award, with firm partner Sarah Rey describing her as “one of the most competent and well-rounded students to have been employed to date”. Roberta is also a founding member of the Progressive Law Network and is involved with Feminist Lawyers.

The second finalist from Monash University is Raeesa Rawal, who is in the final year of a Bachelor of Law/Bachelor of Commerce degree. Raeesa is a council member of the National Association of Women in Construction, the co-chair of the justice sub-committee of Victorian Women Lawyers and a student council member of the International Bar Association. She has secured a graduate position for next year with Corrs Chambers Westgarth, and she previously spent two years working as part of the client services team with Slater & Gordon. Raeesa has also interned with PILCH.

Jessica Rosla is a former La Trobe University student who, having graduated earlier this year, is now undertaking a graduate traineeship at Nowicki Carbone Personal Injury Lawyers, where she has already shown initiative by suggesting to partners that the firm develop a program to write journal and magazine articles for publication. Before taking up her traineeship with Nowicki Carbone Jessica also completed a clerkship with Arnold Bloch Leibler. She has also worked with PILCH and the West Heidelberg Community Legal Centre.

UNSW Law and Humanities student Rosemary Tabuai (pictured) was the first person from her Cairns high school to be accepted into a bachelor’s degree. The 24-year-old Torres Strait Islander woman is now a clerk at Gadens Lawyers and says her ambition is to become a partner at the firm. Since starting at the firm 15 months ago Rosemary has also been heavily involved in the firm’s Reconciliation Action Plan, and is described by Campbell Hudson, a partner at Gadens, as an “inspiration”.