Congratulations to Jessie Sawyer who has been awarded the Tasmanian Bar Barrister Scholarship for 2017.
The Scholarship is intended to provide financial assistance to a junior female or indigenous lawyer with less than seven years post admission experience and who wishes to practice as a barrister in Tasmania.
The Scholarship is funded by a grant from the Attorney General out of surplus funds from the Solicitor’s Guarantee Fund and the grant deed was made by the former Attorney-General Dr Vanessa Goodwin in April 2017.
Jessie grew up in Launceston and attended Riverside High School and Newstead College before studying Arts Law (majoring in Journalism) at UTAS from 2006-2010.
Jessie then spent three years working in hospitality in Europe before graduating from the Tasmanian Legal Practice Course in 2014 and beginning working as a criminal lawyer for Craig Rainbird Barristers and Solicitors and running and winning trials at the Supreme Court.
She then started pupillage as a barrister at Derwent and Tamar Chambers in September this year under the mentorship of Chris Gunson SC and Kate Cuthbertson.
Addressing gender imbalance is particularly important with women making up about 20 per cent of the Bar nationally and only about 10 per cent of Senior Counsel. In Tasmania, only one woman has been appointed as Senior Counsel, Ms Tamara Jago SC, who was appointed in 2010 and now sits as a magistrate.
Encouraging greater gender and cultural diversity in the Tasmanian Bar will support better outcomes for the general public, including an improvement in the quality and range of legal services, and will assist in making the Tasmanian Bar more reflective of the broader community.
The $20,000 Scholarship assists with chamber set-up costs, practising certificate fees, professional indemnity insurance, attending the Australian Bar Association’s Essential Trial Advocacy course and the purchase of wigs and robes.