Victorian lawyer, Bethany Rose was last night named the Migration Manager John Gibson AM Young Australian Migration Lawyer of the Year.
"This award is named in honour of John Gibson AM, one of Australia's most admired advocates, who was unceasing in his efforts to promote the rights of refugees and asylum seekers for over 25 years," Law Council of Australia President, Mr Tass Liveris explained.
"Bethany is an exceptionally worthy recipient of this award. She is a tireless representative of her clients and is driven by strong social justice ideals."
Since being admitted, Bethany's career has spanned private practice, the NGO sector and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Bethany is currently working as a migration lawyer at Clothier Anderson Immigration Lawyers.
Shortly after her admission, Bethany spent a year working in the Thailand country office of UNHCR and worked as the Asia Pacific Program Manager for TrustLaw, the Thomson Reuters Foundation's global pro bono programme.
While at TrustLaw, Bethany connected and project managed a pro bono project between the International Rescue Committee and DLA Piper lawyers to develop and deliver a "know your rights" training program to migrant workers and refugees living in urban Thailand and camps on the Thai-Myanmar border. The project was the first of its kind for all participating organisations and won a global innovation award.
"What stands out about Bethany's practice most is her commitment to her clients and to enabling them to tell their stories in a way that gives them dignity and agency," Mr Liveris said.
"She is a compassionate, dedicated and skilled young lawyer who has demonstrated capacity to maintain the confidence of clients under the most difficult circumstances."
Bethany was presented the award by Ms Valerie Pereira, (Chair, Migration Law Committee, of the Federal Litigation and Dispute Resolution Section, LCA) and Migration Manager's Christian Bell in Melbourne on Wednesday night.
