With 25 years' experience in university teaching and management, including several positions in law faculties and as chair of the Council of Australian Law Deans, ALRC president professor Rosalind Croucher offered some valuable career advice to the new graduates in her formal address.

One of the most important lessons she has taken from her extensive experience, Croucher said, was to be receptive to different opportunities and to embrace the fact that careers often change direction from original projections.

"The problem is, if you lock your thinking too much into a fixed idea of where you want to end up, then you miss seeing the opportunities for diversions that will lead you to that point which, in retrospect, appears so logical and natural a pathway," said Croucher.

"Career paths are actually formed through a wonderful conjunction of twists and turns - opportunities - filled also with lots of life's experiences. It is a story of open doors; ones that close and ones that open."

The awards ceremony was held at the Museum of Sydney where graduates of the College's Master of Applied Law programs in commercial litigation, family law and in-house practice received their testamurs.

The Sandra Paul Memorial Prize for Best Graduating Student in Family Law was also awarded and the winners of the NSW Law Society prizes in the Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice were announced.