Steph was motivated to study law early in her life. You see, when she was a teenager she watched a close family member go through a divorce. During that time, she decided to become a lawyer and help people!
Fast forward a few years…. Steph decided to study law at UNE after hearing about studying online from a close friend, who was a Social Work student at UNE. She decided to apply and was thrilled when she was accepted into the law program! Since then, she has loved studying online, as she was able to balance her studies with full time work. Steph also had her first baby, Kai, in her last year of studying with UNE. Despite unfortunate life-threatening complications which resulted in a 5 week hospital stay and baby Kai joining us 7 weeks early, Steph was able to complete her studies on time due to wonderful support and guidance from UNE!
Steph at her UNE Graduation!
Steph was reluctant to choose what her favourite subject was within the LLB, but she particularly enjoyed Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) with Paul Akon and Criminal Law with Paul Sattler. In fact, Steph achieved the highest mark for ADR when she undertook this subject! Steph also enjoyed Criminal Law as she liked the way both sides of the story were looked at – instead of the one dimensional perspective which is often focused on by the media! In fact, she liked Criminal Law so much she majored in it with top marks during her Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice!
Steph with her College of Law certificate
Whilst she was studying, Steph worked in law firms in Newcastle which allowed her to get experience in legal practice. She worked in both a criminal law and civil law firm before moving to the legal division within the Department of Human Resources. In this role, Steph was required to do statutory interpretation – so her knowledge from LAW100 would have come in handy!
When Steph is not working, she enjoys playing netball. In fact, she is so good she was asked to play A Grade netball! But her favourite moments are being a mum to her precious little boy Kai, and spending time with her husband, Pete, who works at a vineyard in beautiful Pokolbin! Steph’s husband must be a patient man, as on their honeymoon in 2015, Steph was due to submit an assignment for Conveyancing Law. The only problem was they were on a cruise in the middle of the Pacific Ocean – but Steph still managed to submit the assignment as she did not want to let Paul Akon down!
One of the most important aspects of study is the friendships that are made on the educational journey. Even though Steph was an online student, she was still able to make the lifelong friendships which are synonymous with a university education. For example, Steph became good friends with Tenielle Howard in 2014 after meeting during Law of Torts. In fact, Tenielle and Steph did intensive schools, moot court, graduation and College of Law together, despite living nearly 1,500kms apart! Now they have both completed their degrees and are practising solicitors, they are working together on a fitness and lifestyle plan. Just like they kept each other on track with their study, they are now doing the same thing to achieve their fitness and lifestyle goals! The pair have lost over 22kgs between them!
Steph regularly chats to her UNE friends, whether it is over a cup of coffee or by text messages, and finds the relationships created during her LLB still provide a strong support network; whether it is in regards to professional networking, making career plans for the future or even discussing the joys of motherhood!
Since graduating, Steph has started working as a solicitor at The Law Office of Conrad Curry, a law firm in Newcastle. The firm undertakes legal work in areas such as medical negligence, personal injury, motor vehicle accidents, property, civil, commercial, criminal, traffic and wills and estates. This new law firm was founded by Conrad Curry, who has over 20 years’ experience including being a partner in two mid-size law firms.
Thank you Steph for sharing your inspiring story with us!
