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2019 William Ah Ket Scholarship launches

By Jason Silverii

• 30 April 2019 • 3 min read
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The William Ah Ket Scholarship is open again for expressions of interest.

Wednesday 1 May 2019

The 2019 William Ah Ket Scholarship is now open for expressions of interest.

The scholarship – named after Australia’s first barrister of Chinese background – is open to final year law students, law graduates undertaking practical legal training and young lawyers with no more than five years’ post-admission experience.

Applicants are required to write a paper researching a topic relating to equality, diversity and the legal profession or the law.

The winner of the Scholarship will receive $6,000. A further $1,000 prize will be given to two shortlisted entrants.

Expressions of interest to submit an essay are open until Friday, 31 May 2019. The deadline for submitting an essay is 9 August 2019.

The William Ah Ket Scholarship is an initiative by the Asian Australian Lawyers Association (AALA) and sponsored by law firm Maddocks. It is designed to recognise the historical contribution of William Ah Ket to the legal profession as the first Asian Australian barrister in Australia.

William studied at the University of Melbourne and then completed his articles at the firm of Maddock & Jamieson (now Maddocks) in 1903. William joined the Bar in 1904, becoming the first Chinese barrister to practise in Melbourne.

The judging panel for this year’s scholarship will be:

  • The Honourable Michelle Gordon AC, Justice of the High Court of Australia
  • The Honourable Helen Murrell, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Australian Capital Territory
  • Professor Sally Wheeler OBE, Dean of ANU College of Law
  • Patrick Ibbotson, Chairman and Partner of Maddocks

The winner will be announced by the Honourable Susan Kiefel AC, Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, in Canberra in October 2019.

To submit an expression of interest or for more information on the William Ah Ket Scholarship, head to the AALA website.

An event to officially launch the William Ah Ket Scholarship will be held on 22 May 2019 at the Chinese Museum in Melbourne. If you would like to attend, please register here.

Editor note:

Maddocks is a proudly independent Australian law firm that works closely with corporations, businesses and governments throughout Australia and internationally. We advise national and international clients across the built environment, education, government, healthcare and technology sectors, from our Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney offices. Our specialist expertise includes dispute resolution and litigation, employment and safety, financial services, franchising and insolvency.

For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Jason Silverii
Communications Manager
Tel: 3 9258 3509
Mobile: 0407 618 058
[email protected]

By Jason Silverii

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