Jasmine (Jaz) Matz has been drawn to a career in law reform and social justice ever since she relinquished her childhood dreams of one day becoming a pole vaulter, Prime Minister, or ceramicist. 

It was this long-held passion that first led Jaz to study law at The Australian National University (ANU) in her home-town of Canberra. 

“I had a sense that being trained as a lawyer would be a valuable tool in pursuing that goal,” she said. 

“I also really wanted to keep studying social sciences (which I had always enjoyed), and the ANU had excellent flexible double degree options.”

Jaz enrolled in a Bachelor of Laws (Hons)/Arts at ANU in 2019 and is now due to graduate with her double degree next week. 

Reflecting on her law school journey over the past four years, Jaz’s most memorable moments were the experiences that took her outside of the classroom (and in many cases, outside of Canberra). 

This included participating in our International Law Clinic, an internship at the Kimberley Community Legal Services in Kununurra, a semester exchange to Bocconi University in Italy and studying abroad at the London School of Economics.

Jaz also said another series of enriching experiences came from getting involved in “optional volunteer and paid opportunities offered by the ANU College of Law (and affiliated organisations)”.

This included becoming a student editor at the Federal Law Review, participating in GreenLaw projects, and becoming a mentor in the ANU Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Mentoring Program.

“In my first year of law school I was a die-hard PAL attendee, attending a session most weeks,” Jaz said. “Later on in my law degree, I became a PAL mentor myself, trying to relay (as best I could) the advice I was given in my first year.”

“Attending PAL gave me a set of skills that improved my life at law school throughout my entire degree. It improved my grades, helped me manage my time, and generally reduced the stress of both starting and completing my law degree.”

Jaz also said pairing her law degree with an arts degree allowed her to “pursue even more opportunities to learn in a diverse range of ways”. 

This included a short-term PRIMO exchange to ESSCA Budapest, completing an ANIP Internship at the Australian Senate, and going on a study tour to Fiji. 

Jaz’ recommends future law students similarly embrace the many opportunities to enrich their educational experience at ANU.

“Get stuck into all that the ANU College of Law has to offer,” Jaz said. “There are so many ways to get out and learn through diverse and rewarding experiences that are offered all over Australia and overseas.” 

Since she completed her final course in August, Jaz has moved to Melbourne where she has begun working as an associate to the Honourable Justice Michael McDonald KC of the Supreme Court of Victoria. 

“I’m absolutely loving work at the court so far and can feel myself building on the knowledge I gained during my law degree,” she said.

“Whilst I don’t have any firm ideas about my future career yet, in the next 1-2 years I’m hoping to gain skills and experience in the courtroom that will put me in the best place to forge an exciting, interesting and satisfying career path in the years to come.”