The Snedden Hall & Gallop University Scholarship is turning 21! Since the first scholarships were awarded in 1999, we’ve helped almost 40 aspiring lawyers by providing financial assistance during the first three years of their university studies and, in many cases, the opportunity to join our team.
And as the 2019 scholarship winners will be announced shortly, it’s timely to commemorate this significant milestone with an update on where some of these young stars are now.
Former recipients have gone on to become lawyers at firms across Australia, High Court associates, academics and university medallists, and to be recognised by awards such as ACT Young Lawyer of the Year, Young Canberra Citizen of the Year and Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations. You can read more about them below.

Lara Radik

Special counsel, Carter Newell Lawyers, Brisbane

Radford College, 1999

Lara – one of the two inaugural scholarship winners – joined Snedden Hall & Gallop as a paralegal while she was completing her studies at the Australian National University and went on to become a Senior Associate with us in 2010. Unfortunately, she left us—and Canberra— in 2013.
Lara joined Carter Newell Lawyers in 2013, where she is now a Special Counsel in the firm’s litigation and dispute resolution team. Her work focuses on workplace and industrial relations and workplace health and safety.

Nicholas Farrelly

Associate Dean (Development and Impact), ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, Canberra

Daramalan College, 1999

Nicholas graduated from the Australian National University in 2003 with first class honours and was awarded the University Medal in Asian Studies. His impressive academic achievements continued when he left Canberra for Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.
Although Nicholas has a long list of career highlights, he is particularly proud of New Mandala, a prominent website in Southeast Asian studies, which he established with Professor Andrew Walker in 2006 and continues to lead as editor-in-chief.
In addition to his current role as Associate Dean, Nicholas has also served as Deputy Director of the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs in the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific and as Director of the ANU Myanmar Research Centre.

Nick Tebbey

National Executive Officer, Relationships Australia, Canberra

Lake Tuggeranong College, 2000

We were delighted to have Nick as part of the Snedden Hall & Gallop family between 2002 and 2016—initially as a paralegal while he was completing his studies, and then progressing through the ranks to become Senior Associate.
During this time Nick continued his involvement with the scholarship program by acting as a judge during the Moot Court presentations. In 2009 Nick was named ACT Young Lawyer of the Year.
Nick joined the Settlement Council of Australia in 2016, initially as a senior policy officer and later becoming the organisation’s Chief Executive Officer. In February 2019 Nick took on the role of National Executive Officer at Relationships Australia, a not-for-profit community organisation dedicated to supporting all Australians to achieve positive and respectful relationships.

Katherine Urbanski

Senior Consultant, National Australia Bank, Melbourne

Girls Grammar, 2001

After completing her studies, Katherine initially worked as a solicitor at King & Wood Mallesons in Canberra before moving to ME Bank as Assistant Company Secretary. In 2014 she began working at National Australia Bank as a Senior Consultant (Company Secretary) and is now a Senior Consultant, Governance, in the Office of the Chief Customer Experience Officer.

Nicola Jackson

Senior lawyer, Gilbert + Tobin, Melbourne

Radford College, 2001

After completing her studies at the Australian National University in 2006, Nicola worked as a lawyer at Blake Dawson until 2010, before moving to Gilbert + Tobin until 2012. After a time as Legal Counsel with Telstra, Nicola returned to Gilbert + Tobin in 2017.

Graeme Gunn

Principal Lawyer, Australian Government, Canberra

Lake Tuggeranong, 2001

He was a part of the Snedden Hall & Gallop family between 2004 and 2010 – initially as a paralegal while he was studying at the Australian National University, and then as a lawyer primarily in litigation. Sadly – for us – he then moved to the Australian Public Service. Graeme has also worked for international organisations abroad.

Lauren Hodes

Senior Policy and Projects Manager, Victoria Legal Aid, Melbourne

Narrabundah College, 2002

Lauren studied a Bachelor of Asian Studies (Specialist) and Law at the Australian National University. While studying, Lauren completed legal internships with the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women’s Council in Alice Springs and the National Association of Community Legal Centres in Canberra. Lauren was also a facilitator for the United Nations Youth Association (UNYA) and took up roles in federal government departments in Canberra.
Since completing her degree, Lauren has worked in other parts of Australia and overseas, including with the Department of Justice in Victoria and the Green Climate Fund in the Republic of Korea.
Since 2015 Lauren has held various roles at Victoria Legal Aid (VLA), including working as a duty lawyer in rural and regional Victoria and as a human rights and discrimination lawyer in VLA’s specialist Equality Law Program.

Melanie Poole

Director of Strategy, Policy & Engagement, Federation of Community Legal Centres, Melbourne

Hawker College, 2002

After completing her studies at the Australian National University in 2010, Melanie took up a research scholarship in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She has also completed postgraduate studies Fordham University, New York City, where she focused on leadership management in humanitarian organisations and ethics and advocacy in the humanitarian context.
After gaining experience with a number of organisations, including spending a year as a CARE International Senior Advocacy Advisor in the UN Office in New York in 2015, Melanie now drives the policy and campaign agenda for the Federation of Community Legal Centres, Victoria.
In 2013 Melanie founded See Your Change Consulting and help organisations develop impact-driven strategy. Her clients include Amnesty International Australia, GetUP! and the Community and Public Sector Union.

Jane Woodward (now Temby)

Special Counsel, MinterEllison, Canberra

Radford College, 2003

Jane studied arts and law at the Australia National University, graduating in 2008. We were pleased to have Jane work with us a paralegal for 3 years while she was completing her studies.
She then began working work with Minter Ellison, progressing from paralegal, lawyer, Senior Associate and now Special Counsel. Jane is a specialist insurance and corporate risk and administrative lawyer.

Pauline Thai (now Bomball)

Lecturer, ANU College of Law, Canberra

Merici College, 2004

Pauline studied law and economics at the Australian National University, graduating with first class honours in law, a university medal in law and 14 other academic prizes. We were pleased to have her work with us as a paralegal between 2005 and 2008.
Pauline’s impressive career includes being a student editor of the Federal Law Review and spending a year as an Associate to the Honourable Justice Virginia Bell AC of the High Court of Australia. Since joining the ANU Law School in 2012, Pauline has received many awards, including the 2018 ANU Vice-Chancellor’s Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning.
Pauline is currently a Fellow of the Harvard Law School Labor and Worklife Program.

Sophie Turnbull

Education Innovation Fellow, Harvard

Radford, 2005

Sophie holds a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) and a Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honors from the Australian National University. Her earlier career roles included being a paralegal with The Aurora Project and Program, where she worked on land rights; national campaign director with the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia; and program manager with Linkz Inc, which runs education programs in remote communities.
Sophie is currently an Education Innovation Fellow at Harvard University and undertaking a Master in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Christopher Harris

Senior Associate, Ashurst, Melbourne

Radford College, 2006

Chris was a paralegal with Snedden Hall & Gallop between 2008 and 2015 and graduated from the Australian National University in 2011. He later joined MinterEllison in Canberra before moving to London for a 12-month contract as an attorney with Sullivan & Cromwell.
Since late 2015, Christopher has been with Ashurst in Melbourne, becoming a senior associate in 2017. His practice is primarily in mergers and acquisitions and commercial law.

Carina Zeccola

Managing Partner, Griffin Legal, Canberra

Merici College, 2007

After completing her studies in law and actuarial studies at the Australian National University, Carina joined the ACT Government in the Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate, where she worked until early 2013. She then joined Griffin Legal, progressing to Senior Associate in 2016 and a partner in 2017.
Carina relocated to Melbourne to set up Griffin Legal’s Melbourne office, and has recently moved back to Canberra. Carina specialises in corporate and commercial law.

Sarah Henderson

Senior Government Lawyer, Department of Jobs and Small Business, Canberra

Melba Copeland College, 2007

Sarah completed her law degree at the University of Canberra in 2012. She initially worked at the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection as a business analyst while completing her studies, before taking on a full-time legal officer role. While at the Indigenous Affairs Legal Branch within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Sarah progressed to Senior Government Lawyer.
Sarah is now working in the Corporate Legal Branch of the Department of Jobs and Small Business.

Anthony Antioch

Associate, Kirkland & Ellis, London

Radford College, 2008

During and after his studies at the Australian National University, Anthony was part of the Snedden Hall & Gallop family, initially as a law clerk and then as a solicitor. He left our firm when he moved overseas, taking up a position with Linklaters, working in its London and Moscow offices.
Anthony joined Kirkland & Ellis in 2018, where he is currently an associate in the London office, specialising in international corporate tax.

Tom Murphy

Analyst, Department of Defence, Canberra

Radford College, 2009

Tom studied at the Australian National University, completing his law degree in 2015. He also worked with Snedden Hall & Gallop as a paralegal. He then took on a number of diverse roles, including positions with 180 Degrees Consulting, Macquarie Securities Korea and the ANU. He has also undertaken internships and summer clerk positions with legal firms, including Herbert Smith Freehills, DLA Piper and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (Tokyo).
More recently, Tom has been Australia Program Manager with the Stratcon Initiative, an advisor with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and, currently, an analyst with the Department of Defence.

Caitlin Meers

Associate, Russell Kennedy Lawyers, Melbourne

Merici College, 2010

Caitlin studied law at the University of Canberra, graduating in 2015. During this time she also completed a short course on cyber security and crime at Simon Fraser University, Canada.
Caitlin was an integral part of the Snedden Hall & Gallop family between 2013 and September 2019, initially joining us a paralegal and becoming an associate in 2018. Caitlin recently moved to Melbourne to join Russell Kennedy Lawyers, where her practice focuses on workplace relations, employment and safety.

Alyssa Dunn

Australian Tax Office, Canberra

St Clare’s College, 2010

While completing her studies at the University of Canberra, Alyssa joined Snedden Hall & Gallop as a paralegal and stayed on with us as a lawyer until 2016. She then moved to Moray & Agnew, working as a lawyer, before taking up her current role at the Australian Tax Office.

Gemma Butler

Senior Law Clerk, Snedden Hall & Gallop, Canberra

Girls Grammar, 2012

Gemma completed her degree in development studies at the Australian National University in 2018 and will soon complete her law degree. While studying, however, she has also managed to complete a number of roles, including State Director for Oaktree, a youth-run development agency.
Apart from a short stint as legal assistant with Clayton Utz, Gemma has been with Snedden Hall & Gallop since 2014, initially as a paralegal and currently as our senior law clerk.

Gene Schirripa

Lawyer, Snedden Hall & Gallop, Canberra

Marist College, 2012

As part of his studies at the Australian National University, which he completed in 2017, Gene spent six months at Bocconi University in Milan on exchange, studying commercial law.
Gene joined our team at Snedden Hall & Gallop as a paralegal in 2014, progressing to senior law clerk and now lawyer, after being admitted to the ACT Supreme Court in 2018.

Daniel Low

Paralegal, Hall & Wilcox, Sydney

St Mary McKillop College, 2013

Daniel completed his law and commerce degrees at the Australian National University in 2019. He joined Snedden Hall & Gallop in 2015, working as a paralegal with us until early 2019, when he moved to Moray & Agnew in Canberra.
In September 2019 Daniel moved to Sydney to take up a paralegal position with Hall & Wilcox.

Tanya Mirkovic

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, Sydney

Narrabundah College, 2014

Tanya completed a Bachelor of Laws at the Australian National University, graduating with first class honours, and then took up a graduate position with the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) in Sydney.
She works in the insurance policy development team, with a view to move into the litigation team within APRA after completing the graduate program and the Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (GDLP). She has also been volunteering with the Animal Defenders Office, which is the only community legal centre in the NSW/ACT area specialising in Animal Law. Animal rights, and animal law in particular, has always been one of Tanya’s passions – she event spoke about it at her interview for the scholarship back in 2014!

Alexis Currier

Paralegal, Aulich, Canberra

Radford College, 2015

Alexis is currently studying a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Canberra, as well as working as a paralegal at Aulich.

Kate James

Paralegal, Sparke Helmore Lawyers, Canberra

Lake Tuggeranong College, 2015

Kate is currently studying at the Australian National University and expects to complete her studies (Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (Honours)) in 2020. As well as winning the Snedden Hall & Gallop Scholarship as a Year 12 student, Kate has been awarded two academic awards from ANU. 
Before taking up her position at Sparke Helmore, Kate was a paralegal with Alliance Legal Services and an editing clerk with Alliance Consulting.

Kieran Heid

University of Canberra

Gungahlin College, 2016

Kieran is in his third year of Bachelor of Laws at the University of Canberra, where he has won many academic prizes, including the AJC Tabot Prize for Constitutional Law and the Suzanne Howarth Prize for Corporations Law.
He was previously a sub-editor at LexisNexis Capital Monitor in the Parliamentary Press Gallery where he was responsible for monitoring political and legal news as part of a private subscription service for customers. His other achievements include completing a Business and Government Internship with Northrop Grumman Australia, being the elected undergraduate representative on the University of Canberra Council and a member of the Student Representative Council.
Kieran is currently working a research assistant for the School of Law and Justice under Dr Geoff Nicoll in areas of corporate and investment law and has recently completed an internship with Snedden Hall & Gallop.

Grace Haverfield

Paralegal, David Healey Solicitors

Burgmann Anglican School, 2017

Grace is studying a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Canberra and, since July 2019, has been working with David Healey Solicitors as a paralegal.

Harry Williams

Australian National University

Marist College, 2017

Harry is studying a double degree in Law and Politics, Philosophy & Economics at the Australian National University. When not hitting the books, Harry plays soccer in the Canberra first grade competition for Belconnen United, and works in both hospitality and unbundled recruitment services. He said that he’s tried to maintain his commitment to social justice by volunteering locally and, when we spoke to him earlier in the year, was intending to spend this coming winter teaching in schools in China.

Jason Wood

Australian National University

Canberra College, 2018

Jason is studying at the Australian National University, enrolled in a double degree of Law and Politics, Philosophy and Economics.

Taylor Colvin

University of Canberra

Radford, 2018

Taylor is studying a Bachelor of Politics and International Relations and Bachelor of Laws at the University of Canberra.

Want to know more?

To find out more about our scholarship program, please visit contact Kirsten Cameron on 02 6285 8070 or by email.