The Women Lawyers Association of Queensland (WLAQ) has presented the Una Prentice Award to the highest achieving female law graduates from each of the Law Schools in Queensland.
Griffith alumnus Giverny Atkins joined a remarkable group of lawyers to honour the legacy of Queensland’s first woman to graduate in law, Una Prentice.
Giverny received the honour after completing her Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Psychological Science double degree with the highest GPA out of all of the female law students in her graduating class last year.
Griffith Law School’s Deputy Head of School Dr Therese Wilson presented the award to Giverny at a ceremony held at Wesley House in late April.
“I was very pleased for Giverny and proud. She was an excellent student who got on with the job without any fanfare — a quiet achiever,” says Therese.
Giverny, also a Sir Samuel Griffith Scholarship recipient, has many achievements to her name including the Bachelor of Psychological Science Medal for being the highest achieving student in that program.
She also participated in Griffith’s Honours College, an extra-curricular program that gives high achieving students experiences and skills that enhance and complement their undergraduate studies.
“Giverny is pretty typical of many Griffith Law School students, making the most of every opportunity and enjoying a rich and varied legal education as a result,” says Therese.
The Una Prentice Award does more than just showcase the smart and accomplished women in our universities. It also serves as a reminder of the ongoing issues that women face in the law.
“While we’re pleased that our female graduates today won’t face the same difficulties as Una Prentice faced in seeking to practice law; men still make up the majority of judges, Queen’s Counsel and partners in law firms,” says Therese.
“We must applaud, promote and support our high achieving female lawyers to explore the full extent of their abilities. Griffith Law School is very proud to be a part of that by supporting the Una Prentice award.”
View the full list of the Una Prentice Award Winners for 2014 >(PDF link)