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Home > Faculty of Law > Where a UOW Law Degree... > LLB Testimonials

UOW Law Graduate Profiles

Elisa Arcioni	Liz Crawford	Aaron Hughes	Paul Nguyen
Krystyn Baxter	Michael Hatfield	Matthew Johnson	Craig Pryor
Benjamin Coleman	Vanessa Hill	Jenna Macnab	Jillian Walshe

Elisa Arcioni 

Lecturer, University of Wollongong
BA/LLB (Hons) (2001)

My current role as a Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of Wollongong involves teaching, research, administration and community engagement. The latter includes my role as a member of the NSW Government’s Noxious Weeds Advisory Committee, an appointment which resulted from the expertise I developed while researching and writing an honours thesis on the regulation of invasive plant species in NSW.

After completing my UOW studies my first role was working as Associate to Justice Michael Kirby, High Court of Australia. This involved everything from making the tea to researching and drafting legal analysis for judgments. Due to the Judge’s involvement in world affairs I also met people related to his extra-curial work such as the Dalai Lama, international judges and academics.

The compulsory Professional Experience Program was central to me gaining my first law-related work experience (I worked with a barrister, who then referred me on to a colleague of hers who then employed me while I continued my studies. That barrister then gave me a reference in connection with my application to work for Justice Kirby). It also put me in touch with legal professionals in a variety of areas of law and exposed me to a range of different employment options and opportunities.

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Krystyn Baxter

Business Development Manager, Mallesons Stephen Jaques, Sydney
BCom/LLB (2004)

As Business Development Manager for one of Australia’s biggest law firms,  my major responsibilities include business planning, formulation of marketing strategy and profitability analysis.  This involves key account management for several clients ie: the formulation and execution of client action plans, project management of tenders and pitches, client liaison and relationship reviews, preparation of external reports for clients, budget management and market analysis as well as internal financial analysis.   

My role also encompasses formulation of national practice plans for expertise groups within the business, as well as initiation and execution of client pursuits, sponsorship and budget management.

Upon graduating I worked at TressCox Lawyers in the role of National Marketing Co-ordinator. My role had a pure marketing focus and involved proposals and bids, research and writing, media and public relations liaison, sponsorship coordination, survey coordination and website content management.

The Professional Experience Program was of benefit to me as I completed one of my placements at BlueScope Steel.  This enabled me to witness the interaction between the commercial decision makers of a global business and the internal legal function as well as external legal service providers and to see the decisions they made, based on business drivers and commercial priorities.  This understanding has been particularly relevant for my current role.

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Benjamin Coleman

Associate, Linklaters LLP, London
BA/LLB (2004); GDLP (2005)
Admitted to practice in New South Wales (2005); and in England & Wales (2008)

Since graduating, I have moved into an Associate role in the Employee Incentives Group at Linklaters in London. I do the global due diligence for large multinational companies who offer benefits to employees over and above a regular salary. This involves providing advice on the legal, regulatory and tax implications of operating employee share schemes in over 100 countries worldwide. There is a mix of corporate, tax, employment and international law.

I think the interaction UOW students have with local law firms/businesses gives Wollongong students a foot in the employment door before they have even graduated. Also, the presence of local lawyers as lecturers brings a practical dimension to the legal theory we study.

The compulsory Professional Experience Program was very worthwhile – our education is not complete and rounded without workplace experience.

I did my PLT course at UOW and was very happy with the course and the quality of the instruction. Being familiar with the surroundings and staff also helped. It was difficult, and so it should be.

I thoroughly enjoyed my six years at Wollongong and recommend it to anyone looking for a career in law. The teachers are unfailingly helpful and are always willing to give up their time to answer questions and be of assistance generally.

Overall, being a student at UOW was a fantastic experience.

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Liz Crawford

Principal Solicitor, Wesley Legal Services, Wesley Mission
BCA/LLB (1999); GDLP (1999)

I am the Principal Solicitor of Wesley Legal Services, providing an important function for Wesley Mission, one of Australia’s largest non-government community service organisations. Wesley Mission is a part of the Uniting Church in Australia, employing 3,000 staff and is blessed with 3,000 volunteers. The work is broad and diverse; family and children’s services, alcohol and drug counselling services, employment programs, services for homeless people, gambling and financial counselling, Lifeline, aged care services, hospitals and eating disorder programs. Wesley Mission is also the largest Uniting Church parish in Australia so my working week includes issues of spirituality, religious practice and Church services.

As Principal Solicitor I have responsibility for all the Mission’s legal needs which include leasing and licensing of property as both Lessor and Lessee, contracts and agreements for the provision of community, welfare and aged care services, insurance, estates, joint ventures, child protection, privacy, intellectual property and litigated matters, the occasional conveyance and the provision of training and general legal information to staff.

I am also a member of the Society of Notaries. We provide notarial services to needy people for a modest fee or pro bono depending on their circumstances. Certifying legal documents from other legal systems can be an interesting challenge.

My time at the University of Wollongong shaped much of my professional worldview; my studies taught me to think like a lawyer. I believe the ‘Wollongong experience’ made all the difference to me.

The Professional Experience Program was difficult for me to manage as a mature age student with seven children. However, it did assist in me gaining my first legal position.

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Michael Hatfield

Partner, Kells the Lawyers
BCom/LLB (2000)

I started my degree at the University of Wollongong in 1995. I chose UOW because of its proximity to home and its beautiful campus.  I was lucky enough to obtain a clerkship at Kells the Lawyers (previously Kell Heard McEwan) in my first year of university.  I worked a combination of full time and part time work with Kells throughout my degree, and attended university at all times of the night and day. 

I was able to apply what I was learning at university to real life situations immediately, and the skills component of the degree certainly assisted in this regard. 

The University of Wollongong also offered me the opportunity to complete a semester of my degree overseas. In 1997 I attended the University of Massachusetts for six months which was a great experience, one that I will never forget. I would highly recommend an exchange/study abroad semester to anyone. 

Back at Kells, I was admitted in 2000, appointed as an Associate of the firm in 2002 and became a Partner in March 2007.  The same year I qualified as an Accredited Specialist in Property Law and, whilst I still run the commercial property team at the Shellharbour office, I am also now the Partner in charge of Property for the firm.

I am grateful to UOW for preparing me for the ‘real world’ and was fortunate to have some highly intelligent and motivated lecturers throughout my degree.

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Vanessa Hill

Lawyer, Henry Davis York Lawyers
BA/LLB (2005)

I am a lawyer in the Commercial Disputes Group at Henry Davis York. In this role I am involved in litigation on behalf of my clients, which includes considering the legal issues behind disputes, negotiating the settlement of disputes and if necessary, representing my clients in court.

Recently, I concluded a secondment to the Roads and Traffic Authority in the area of Road Transport Law. I was responsible for providing advice to high level management on legal issues relevant to road transport law and also assisting with drafting amendments to road transport legislation.

I think that the Professional Experience Program was particularly helpful as it provided me with an opportunity to gain experience in two very different areas of law (the Public Defenders Office and Henry Davis York). This is beneficial when it comes to preparing job applications as it boosts the level of legal experience obtained and can quite often be a talking point with potential employers.

Small-group seminar based learning was one of the most beneficial parts of studying law at UOW. It engages students in the subject matter and also improves a person's ability to articulate their thoughts and arguments and present them to the class. I think this approach is a good way to build confidence and also encourages students to get to know their peers.

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Aaron Hughes

Director, Commercial Business Section, Financial Management Branch, Australian Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
BCA/LLB (2003); GDLP (2003)

I am currently the Director of the Commercial Business Section within the Financial Management Branch. This role involves facilitating the Department’s procurement & purchasing, contract management and general insurance operations within the Australian Government financial management framework. In real terms this means oversight and involvement in the strategic procurement, contract management and insurance work relating to the Department’s objectives of administering and implementing the Australian Government’s environment, water, heritage and the arts policies and programmes.

The Department is spread across the country and has a high level of interaction with other departments and our portfolio agencies (Bureau of Meteorology, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Sydney Harbour Federation Trust and Director, National Parks). The work is diverse in line with the divisions of the Department which include the Australian Antarctic Division, Environment Quality Division, Arts and Indigenous Policy and Programs Division and the Water Group. 

After completing my degree I gained employment at the Australian Customs Service, starting as a Graduate, then Senior Procurement Officer, then Manager, National Procurement and Contracting Unit. This role involved providing advice and assistance on procurement operations within the Australian Government Framework for a national law enforcement agency.

The Professional Experience Program along with my own employment during the last two years of the LLB as a law clerk was essential to my gaining employment and my subsequent success.

The PLT program was a critical element which made life a lot easier for me. I probably wouldn’t have sought to do the course or seek admission if it wasn’t for the accessibility of the PLT course at the University of Wollongong.

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Matthew Johnson

Director, Global Investment Banking, Bank of America, Sydney
BCom/LLB (1999)

My role as Director of Global Investment Banking entails building and running an investment banking business for financial institutions throughout Australia and New Zealand. This includes the provision of acquisition finance, structured finance, global derivative product and capital markets issuance/advisory services.

After completing my degree I worked for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. This involved the structuring, trading and origination of debt/equity securities, credit derivatives and other equity based derivatives. I was successful in a three year graduate program across credit risk, institutional banking, legal, and global markets.

The practical skills orientation of the UOW law degree equipped me with the ability to successfully breakdown any business opportunity and efficiently create a solution regardless of the matter at hand.

Based on this training I have successfully built a new global investment banking business at America’s second largest bank to cover Australia/NZ financial institutions.

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Jenna Macnab

Senior Legal Officer, Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care
BA/LLB (1995)

I am on secondment from the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC) to the NSW Attorney General’s Department – Diversity Services Unit. I recently worked on a project that considered the different NSW definitions of ‘capacity’ (civil) under statutory and common law, and provided advice on whether it is necessary to amend legislation or provide guidelines to the community and professions regarding definitions of capacity.

I am now working on the roll-out of a training module on capacity, as well as another project involving provision of advice on how best to include people with intellectual disabilities and/or mental illness in the criminal justice system.  This will involve, among other things, an audit of Local Court files in several different areas around NSW. 

My substantive position in the NSW public service is as the Senior Legal Officer at Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care. I provide legal advice on a variety of matters to staff of DADHC, the Director General and the Minister.  Legal areas include: legislative drafting and advice, privacy, administrative law, contract, property, negligence, tribunal work (mostly Administrative Decisions Tribunal), and briefing Crown Solicitors on Supreme Court litigation.  

Having started my law degree at another law school where the focus was on black letter law with 100% closed book exams, I appreciated the social justice focus of UOW.  Additionally, at Wollongong we didn’t just learn ‘the law’; we also examined how, in a practical sense, the law was functional.  This method of teaching certainly prepared me for applying the law in a useful and realistic way. I appreciate this now when providing legal advice in a highly politicised environment where the pressures of the human services sector are complex.

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Paul Nguyen

Senior Associate, Greenwoods & Freehills
BCom/LLB (2000)

I am a Senior Associate at Greenwoods & Freehills. This role involves advising clients (mainly large multinationals and ASX listed entities) on tax issues across a broad spectrum of transactions including those relating to financial services, property and corporate matters.

I spent two years with the tax practice of an international accounting firm (Arthur Andersen) and three years at a national law firm (Clayton Utz). I also spent a year working in the United Kingdom in tax at a major international accounting firm (KPMG).

Student centred learning, an emphasis on group learning and interaction, and promotion of the ability to think ‘outside the square’ are all features of the LLB program at UOW that have proved invaluable since graduation.

I found the Professional Experience Program not only gave me an insight into professional working life but was also a very useful reference point to have when going for job interviews. Employers were impressed that I had undertaken such work experience as part of my LLB studies. The program also led to one placement provider (the Commonwealth Bank’s Legal Department) offering me paid part time work during my studies.

When I was at university, I was worried that having studied at UOW might be a disadvantage in the job market; that graduates from the more ‘prestigious’ law schools might be considered better applicants. To my relief, I discovered that UOW is held in very high esteem by prospective employers. In fact, it was because I had studied at UOW that I was able to distinguish myself from the many other applicants from other universities.

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Craig Pryor

Director, Warren McKeon Dickson Lawyers
BSc/LLB (2000); GDLP (2001)

I am a solicitor/director of a medium size suburban firm with offices in Sydney, Wollongong and Batemans Bay. I practice mainly in commercial and estate litigation and supervise lawyers in those matters and in providing commercial and corporate advice. I also supervise law clerks, including the recipients of the Work Integrated Learning Scholarship that our firm offers at UOW.

I began working at Warren McKeon Dickson Lawyers before completing my degree and became a partner at the age of 28.  Since admission, I have practised within our firm’s Corporate and Commercial Group. My practice involves conducting litigation, personally and with assistance of counsel, advising on business structures, creating and winding up businesses and advising on all aspects of contract law and contractual disputes.

The Faculty’s Professional Experience Program (PEP) is an excellent initiative which provides extensive practical and financial benefit to students. We are proud of our association with UOW and to have many lawyers with us who come to us via the PEP.

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Jillian Walshe

Prosecution Officer, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, NSW
BA/LLB (1999)

As a Prosecution Officer I conduct prosecutions of criminal offences in the Local and District Courts of Southern NSW.  My role involves managing a large and varied criminal law practice and instructing in District Court trials.  My work is mainly Litigation and Advocacy based.

Since graduating, I have been lucky to have had quite a diversified career.  My first job in 2000 was working as part of the Legal Team for the Sydney Olympic Games (SOCOG) which was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  In 2001 I worked on the Longford Royal Commission in Melbourne for several months before I followed my ambition (and my UOW Honours Thesis topic) to become an environmental lawyer.  I worked for six years as an environmental prosecutor with the Environment Protection Authority (now Department of Environment, Conservation and Climate Change) and during that time I performed litigation in the Local and Land and Environment Courts, as well as undertaking legislative drafting and advising work.

In 2006 I had the opportunity to work overseas for a human rights Non-Government Organisation (NGO), the Centre for the Environment and Human Rights in Cordoba, Argentina. I am currently enrolled as a Master of Laws student at the University of Sydney.

Being able to travel to Canada on exchange while I was a student at UOW was an outstanding opportunity, The Faculty of Law supported and assisted with this aspect of my ‘career preparation’ by allowing me to achieve something that set me apart from other law students. This was especially important when applying for graduate jobs.

The small group seminar model favoured at UOW prepares graduates very well for working with others in teams, whether in companies, law firms or other organisations.  It also gave me the confidence to participate in discussions at meetings from a young age.

I have such fabulous memories from my time at UOW and great respect for the teaching staff as well.

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