Firm launches $30k scholarship to boost First Nations representation in law

In partnership with the University of Newcastle, the scholarship will provide financial assistance to First Nations students enrolled in the University of Newcastle’s bachelor of laws (honours) combined program or juris doctor.

The scholarship comes against a backdrop of persistently low representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within the legal profession.

According to the 2024 National Profile of Solicitors prepared for the Law Society of NSW by URBIS, just 0.8 per cent of solicitors identified as Indigenous – a figure that has remained largely unchanged over the past decade.

Elizabeth McDonald, director of Chalk & Behrendt, said the scholarship represents a practical step towards supporting the next generation of First Nations lawyers, particularly during the more demanding later years of legal study.

“This scholarship is about investing in First Nations students and taking a little bit of the pressure off those later years of law school,” McDonald said.

While scholarships alone cannot solve systemic underrepresentation, Chalk & Behrendt emphasised that initiatives like this provide a tangible example of how law firms can help create “a more inclusive and diverse environment”.

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Applications for the scholarship are now open, and students can apply through the University of Newcastle’s scholarship portal. Submissions close on 30 April.

The profit-for-purpose legal and consulting practice has spent more than three decades working alongside Indigenous communities across areas including native title, land rights, cultural heritage, and economic development.