More than a dozen alumni from The Australian National University (ANU) College of Law have been named as finalists in the 2021 Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Awards and Corporate Counsel Awards.

Among the outstanding alumni being recognised for their work in the legal profession is Lauren Murphy (BA/LLB (Hons) ’15), who was named as a finalist in the 30 Under 30 Technology category.

Lauren, who currently works as a solicitor for King & Wood Mallesons, did her honours thesis in technology law during her time at ANU.

“For me, being shortlisted as a finalist for the Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Awards recognises and validates the important role junior lawyers have in driving innovation and growth in new areas of technology law,” she said.

Ben Morgan (BA/LLB (Hons) ’18) was shortlisted as a finalist in the 30 Under 30 Pro Bono category.

Like Lauren, Ben works as a solicitor at King & Wood Mallesons. During his time at the College, he served as the director of the ANU Law Students’ Society and the chair of the ANU College of Law Wellbeing Committee.

"I'm very grateful for the shortlisting and take this opportunity to emphasise the incredible capacity we have, as lawyers, to influence and shape the society we live in. A legal education equips you with an understanding of the systems that govern the ways in which we interact with one another, and equips you with a skill-set to change these systems for the better," he said.

"I'm glad to see growing recognition within the profession of the importance of pro bono work, in affording us the opportunity to engage with, and give back to, our communities," he continued. 

In the Corporate Counsel Awards, Wayne Clarke (GDLP ’11, LLM ’13) has been named a finalist in the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Lawyer of the Year category.

Wayne, the Associate Director, Legal for Australia and New Zealand at technology consulting firm Cognizant, in an interview with The Corporate Counsel Show last year, mentioned that he has become an advocate for opportunities that the in-house legal sector could offer to the right law graduates.

Another finalist in the same category is Annie Haggar (BA/LLB '06, GDLP '07), who works as the Global Managed Security Legal Lead and Growth Markets Legal Lead for Accenture. 

"It is very humbling to be included in a shortlist with such an incredible group of lawyers.  The finalist spot is an exciting culmination of a career built entirely in technology law," she said.

"I started as a paralegal while I was still doing my law degree at ANU, when iPhones were just launched, and discussions of 'the cloud' generally referred to the weather. From there I have worked across so many areas of emerging technology, learning 'on the job' and trying to keep up with the changes in the businesses I support," she continued. 

As she balances the challenges of a global role - from Canberra - in one of the world's biggest consulting firms, and raising a young family, Annie reflected on what the award means to her right now, and also excitment towards what is yet to come:

"The award is really a reward for all of the juggling and hard work, as well as the incredible experience and opportunities I've had in my career to date. The only thing I know for sure is that the technology I'll be working on at the end of my career hasn't even been dreamt of yet - and that is the most exciting opportunity."

The winners for the 30 Under 30 and Corporate Counsel awards will be announced on 11 and 17 June respectively. The full list of ANU College of Law alumni finalists for both awards is listed below. More information on Lawyers Weekly Events and Awards here.

Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Awards

BARRISTER
Josie Dempster (LLB (Hons) '14, GDLP '17)

COMMUNITY LEGAL CENTRE
Keertan Samra (GDLP '16)

COMPETITION, TRADE AND REGULATION
Emma Berry (GDLP '18)
Deniz Kayis (GDLP '18)

CONSTRUCTION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Sarah Jones (BA/LLB (Hons) '16)

CRIMINAL
Zile Yu (GDLP '15)

EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS
Charisse (Smith) Matthews (BSc/LLB '15, GDLP '16, MLegPrac '19)

GOVERNMENT
Aaron Strickland (GDLP '16)

INSURANCE
Jennifer Robbins (GDLP '16)

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Sarah Martine (Bec '15, LLB '16)

NATIVE TITLE, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT
Olivia Yeatman (GDLP '16)

PRO BONO
Ben Morgan (BA / LLB (Hons) '18)

PROJECTS, ENERGY AND RESOURCES
Aditya Shivam (GDLP '16)

REAL ESTATE
Zile Yu (GDLP '15)

SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Daniella Scuteri (GDLP '18)

TECHNOLOGY
Amelia Abbott (LLB / Bpsych '14, GDLP '15)
Lauren Murphy (BA / LLB (Hons) '15)

Lawyers Weekly Corporate Counsel Awards

CONSTRUCTION AND REAL ESTATE LAWYER OF THE YEAR
Ben Klug (GDLP '16)

FMCG LAWYER OF THE YEAR
David Brewster (Bcomm '93, LLB (Hons) '95)

HEALTHCARE, PHARMACEUTICALS AND BIOTECH LAWYER OF THE YEAR
Benjamin Dunn (GDLP '18)
Shane Matthews (GDLP '00, LLM '09)

INSURANCE LAWYER OF THE YEAR
Emma Carolan (GDLP '15)

SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER OF THE YEAR
Paul Wu (Bcomm '13, LLB '13, GDLP '17)

TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS LAWYER OF THE YEAR
Wayne Clarke (GDLP '11, LLM '13)
Annie Haggar (BA / LLB '06, GDLP '07)

Update:

We're thrilled to announce that three of our alumni finalists were winners in their fields at the 30 Under 30 awards ceremony on 11 June 2021: Josie Dempster (Key Chambers), Aditya Shivam (Herbert Smith Freehills) and Lauren Murphy (King & Wood Mallesons). During the Corporate Counsel awards ceremony on 17 June, it was David Brewster (Coles Group) and Annie Haggar (Accenture) who took home the award in their respective categories. Our warmest congratulations to all our winners and finalists!