September 17, 2014

Women help women navigate a career in law

Fifteen female law students will celebrate their journey through the 2014 Lucy Mentoring Program at a graduation ceremony in Sydney on Thursday 18 September.

The twelve-week-program matches students with female lawyers based on the pair’s mutual professional interests, placing students in an environment where they can gain practical work experience as well as investigate how to navigate a path to career success from other successful women.

Alannah Curry, who is pursuing a double degree in law and communications and media, was paired with Erin Lynch a Senior Associate at People + Culture Strategies, a specialist workplace law firm.

“The LUCY program has been a fantastic experience. I got to experience the culture and practice of a small law firm that specialises in employment law and I had the opportunity to sit in on mediation conferences and a district court trial,” she said.

Now in its seventh year, the program has seen a year-on-year increase in the number of students wanting to participate and would not be possible without the generosity of those who volunteer to mentor UOW’s young lawyers.

Erin Lynch, a UOW alumna who was recently recognised at the , said she volunteered for the program because she saw value in imparting some of what she has learnt during her six years of practice on a young woman who is just starting out.

“I believe the experience helped Alannah to discover what options are available to her after studying law and understand the wide variety of work that we do as lawyers … Following a mediation she observed while working with me, Alannah might now even consider heading down that path,” Ms Lynch said.

Events details
When: Thursday 18 September 6.15 pm – 8:30 pm
Where: University of Wollongong Sydney Campus - Level 8 of the Gateway Building, 1 Macquarie Place, Circular Quay

Note to media: Interview opportunities and photos can be arranged by contacting Jacqueline Wales on +61 4 27 225 657 or jwales@uow.edu.au