The Australian Young Lawyer Awards ceremony took place in Brisbane last month (29 September). Kendra Turner won the Australian Young Lawyer Award, while LIV Young Lawyers (YL) won the Organisation Award.

Kendra Turner was admitted to practice in December 2020. She is a member of Corrs Chambers Westgarth’s national Diversity and Inclusion program, through which she has presented locally and nationally on the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She is a Management Committee Member of the Society of African Australian Lawyers Inc., a not-for-profit which she helped launch and which aims to improve access to justice in Western Australia, particularly within the African community.

Kendra has also worked with the youth-run Indigenous Communities Education and Awareness Foundation and undertaken a secondment to the Aboriginal Legal Services of WA, assisting lawyers in its Civil and Human Rights team. In addition, she has volunteered at national and international not-for-profit organisations, including the Women’s Legal Service WA, Tenancy WA, and Legal Aid Cambodia.

LIV YL was recognised for its ‘Young Lawyers Bootcamp 2021’. The Young Lawyers Bootcamp was held for the first time this year and was designed to address a gap in the support of students from legal study through to practice. It was delivered virtually using interactive technologies. Over 1000 people registered across four workshops covering topics including Study and Practice of Law and Reading and Understanding the Law. The Bootcamp highlighted that law students graduate with multiple skills and encouraged lateral thinking on how to use their learning in all expressions of legal practice, including in legal technology, policy, government and education roles.

“Each year the nominees for the Australian Young Lawyer Awards inspire and impress. Our profession is in very good hands,” said Law Council of Australia President Dr Jacoba Brasch QC.  “Congratulations to Kendra, LIV YL and all the nominees. The contributions you have all already made, and I know you will continue to make to our profession and community, fill me with confidence for the future.”

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