Indigenous scholarship puts budding lawyers on path to careers as strong

Indigenous scholarship puts budding lawyers on path to careers as strong justice advocates

The Law Society congratulates Mikeyli Hendry and Cindy D’Angelo on both being awarded a GDLP Indigenous Law Student scholarship.

The scholarship program is a joint initiative of the he Law Society and The University of Adelaide in which Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Adelaide University Law Students who are awarded a scholarship will have their mandatory practical legal training course program fully paid for.

Mikeyli and Cindy talk about what the scholarship means to them and what their future plans are in the law.

Mikeyli Hendry

Being awarded this scholarship has taken a huge financial load of my shoulders. Tertiary education, let alone a law degree often deters Indigenous people away from studying because of the costs of the degree, textbooks and added expenses such relocating from their community. The GDLP scholarship has taken away the added financial stress and will allow me to complete my Practical Legal Training on time.

When I started my undergraduate degree I was unaware of the Practical Legal Training requirements that I needed to complete after I graduated. I am grateful that there are scholarships like this available to allow more Indigenous lawyers to enter and participate in the profession.

My time at University has been rewarding but also very challenging. I have enjoyed University life and taking myself out of my comfort by studying a challenging degree. I have had some obstacles to overcome but have always had support from the University and my family to overcome them.

During the later years of my degree I started completing internships and in my final year I had to juggle study with two casual legal jobs. This made my final year of study very busy and meant I had to be extra organised to complete all my assessments on time which was a struggle for me.

My family and community are in Alice Springs, NT and I had to move to Adelaide to complete my degree. Living interstate meant that I needed to juggle finding the time to visit my family, but also at times stay in Adelaide during university breaks to ensure that I could keep on top of my study.

I think law school is great at acknowledging that there are historical injustices which still impact Indigenous people today. However, there still steps to take in incorporating current issues in the curriculum and implementing more subjects solely about Indigenous issues in the areas of human rights, government policy, incarceration, sentencing and Aboriginal Lore. Indigenous justice issues are complex and I think being an Indigenous law student definitely gives me a different perspective of the legal system.

I am passionate about social justice and want to practice in the areas of criminal law or native title. I also have a strong interest in family law and issues in child protection and children in care. Youth justice and human rights law are also passions of mine that I would like to practice in.

After completing GDLP, I plan to start my career by practicing in one of the areas of law I am interested in. I would like to be able to work in a space where I can use my knowledge of the law and my experiences to advocate for Aboriginal communities and other groups like children and other minority groups.

Cindy D’Angelo

Thank you to the Law Society of South Australia and the University of Adelaide for awarding me the GDLP scholarship. I feel honoured to be recognised as a worthy recipient of this merit-based scholarship. The financial assistance will be extremely helpful to me in meeting the costs of my GDLP fees.

I am a Kokatha/Mirning woman, a mum of two young children, and I recently completed the Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of Adelaide as a mature age student. I am on track to complete the GDLP in August this year.

The subjects I enjoyed at university include Employment Law, Corporate Law, Medical Law, Dispute Resolution & Ethics, Wills and Estates and Torts, and I can see myself working in any of these areas in the future. I am open to exploring various practice areas to realise my own niche area that is suited to me.

Prior to undertaking my law degree, I worked for many years in the Aboriginal social justice arena, specifically in the areas of health, education and employment. Going forward, I aim to continue to contribute to Aboriginal social justice issues in a meaningful way, alongside and part of a successful legal career.

One of the reasons I studied as a mature age student was to be a role model for my children and to demonstrate that they can achieve anything they put their minds to and work hard for, and at any stage of their life. I also hope to inspire my wider family and broader community that anything is possible. B August 2022 THE BULLETIN 23