Written by Julia Werren

One of the questions Bronwen sometimes gets asked by law students is ‘is it OK to have tattoos if I want to be a legal practitioner?’ She usually responds with: -‘wait until you are older and if you do get one make sure it is not visible when wearing a suit.’

One of Bronwen’s tattoos

Bronwen can speak with authority on this point as she has a very impressive selection of tattoos herself. She didn’t always like tattoos but then she started to notice tattoos which featured beautiful individual artwork.

Whilst visiting the coast Bronwen met a tattooist. She liked him and decided to take the plunge. Her tattoo collection has grown exponentially since then. Bronwen has two themes within her tattoos- one is light, fun and colourful and the other is heavier and darker. The lighter theme features flowers and fairies. The heavier theme is darker and showcases dragons and castles. Each of Bronwen’s tattoos represents a different phase in her life.

Bronwen when she first started lecturing at the UNE School of Law

Bronwen started her career at the UNE School of Law in 1996 as a casual academic. The young academic was so capable she was able to teach any subject that was presented to her. From the start, Bronwen always thought the School of Law would be a success. Bronwen’s predictions were correct and UNE School of Law’s student numbers continued to grow over time. Even though the School of Law did offer distance education from the beginning, it was slightly different in nature. For example, Residential Schools were compulsory. At the start of the School of Law’s history she remembers the then Head of School, Dr Bob Hughes, predicting that in about 25 years’ time ‘there won’t be a physical campus and students will listen to lectures from anywhere!’

Like many of the UNE School of Law’s students, Bronwen undertook her law degree whilst she had both a job and a large family. She completed her law degree through what was then known as the SAB (now LPAB). The SAB was largely based on the study of black letter law as it had its origins in the legal Article Clerk system. The assessment was usually three hour closed book exams. There was generally no feedback on any of the written papers and it was not unusual for there to be 5 assignments per subject in a semester. When Bronwen studied torts, 73% of students failed.

Bronwen with her fourth son!

As Bronwen had five young sons living at home, she needed to find somewhere to study for her exams. She received permission to use an office in the Armidale Court House. When she first started using this space she was instructed by the staff to avoid pressing the red emergency button which was underneath the desk. Apparently if Bronwen touched this button, all available emergency services would turn up with their sirens blazing.

The results for each of the SAB units would come out in the Sydney Morning Herald at the end of the examination period. Bronwen would turn up to the newsagency at 7am and wait for the paper to come out. She would then light up her cigarette and with shaking hands check her results.

Bronwen attributes successfully completing her degree to hard work and having a very hands on mum and a supportive network of friends. Bronwen remembers her house being ‘chaos which she couldn’t control.’  All her hard work was worth it though when her son Dylan (who later completed his own law degree) noted ‘I am really proud of you mum.  That was an incredible effort!’

Bronwen really enjoys her academic job at the UNE School of Law. In particular, she likes getting to meet her many students. Even though Bronwen ‘s favourite subjects to teach are Evidence, Equity and Trusts and Family Law, she has taught pretty much every subject apart from Criminal Law. Bronwen has had some difficult teaching moments, but this has all been put into perspective recently whilst training her Border Collie puppy in agility trials. ‘Even though managing large cohorts of student is difficult, this is nothing compared to training my puppy. At least the students listen to me!’ 

Bronwen at the Graduate Certificate in NDIS Business Management Launch

Arguably one of Bronwen’s biggest career achievements has been the introduction of the Graduate Certificate in NDIS Business Management. When the NDIS came into being, Bronwen quickly identified there would be major changes ahead for the disability sector. Bronwen created a suite of units which are useful to people working in the disability industry. The whole disability sector paradigm shifted and the Graduate Certificate in NDIS Business Management helps organisations adapt to these changes.Bronwen is also researching in this area as she is focusing on legislative changes in the disability sector. She notes ‘the changes this legislation will bring will be phenomenal. It will likely be mainly positive for people with disabilities. Expect a rights based set of rules which is focused on the individual participant.’

Thank you Bronwen for continuing to be such a large part of the UNE School of Law’s past and future!