Celebrating Law Alumni

Three Law Alumni were acknowledged at the recent UTS Alumni Awards for their outstanding contributions to the community.  The University recognises an alumnus from each Faculty as well as five university-wide awards. 

Catherine Hinwood OBE received the 2023 Faculty Award for Excellence. 

Professor Nurul Barizah was acknowledged as the 2023 UTS International Alumni.  

Nawid Cina was selected as the 2023 UTS Young Alumni.

In congratulating the alumni, Law Dean, Professor Anita Stuhmcke, noted:

Each of our wonderful alumni award recipients for 2023 share a commitment to social justice and the achievement of access to the law, education and freedom.  This commitment is achieving justice in diverse ways, demonstrating how the law can make a difference to so many individuals and communities.

Catherine Hinwood OBE completed a Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Arts and Graduate Certificate Legal Practice in 2002. She is one of the UK's leading experts on domestic abuse and sexual violence. For over twenty years, Catherine has advocated for the rights of vulnerable communities in Australia, the United Kingdom and internationally.  Catherine’s current achievements in bringing attention and action to the significant harm caused by domestic abuse and sexual violence builds on her earlier powerful work in advocacy and training and her successes in law and policy reform.  Catherine is currently leading reform of the UK’s approach to domestic abuse and sexual violence through transforming the conversation to recognition of personal violence as a public health issue. The effectiveness of her leadership and advocacy was acknowledged with an OBE in this year’s inaugural King’s Honours List.  

Professor Nurul Barizah completed a Master of Laws (Industrial and Intellectual Property) in 2001 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 2009. Nurul is Professor of International Law, Faculty of Law, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia. As a leading academic, she is regularly invited as an expert by the national and local governments and legislatures to contribute to the drafting of laws. Nurul is active in providing legal education for government, legislative and community capacity building. In her previous role as Dean, Nurul developed meaningful international partnerships and collaboration with overseas universities and obtained funding from international institutions for capacity development aimed at enhancing the quality of legal education and increasing access for students to undertake the study of law. In 2016, Nurul received a “Satya Lencana Karya Satya” award from the President of the Republic of Indonesia for 20 years Commitment as a Lecturer (Civil Servant).

Nawid Cina undertook a Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of International Studies which he completed in 2020. He is the Vice President of Mahboba's Promise, a charity established to protect and support widows and orphans impacted by years of war and civil unrest in Afghanistan. In his role as a human rights lawyer and advocate, Nawid led the charity’s crisis response to the Taliban takeover in two critical areas: in the evacuation of at-risk orphans, widows and staff into Australia, and in the expansion of humanitarian aid in Afghanistan. Mahboba's Promise has extended its work to Australia where currently, the organisation engages with local communities to affect positive and sustainable change. Nawid’s effective leadership and response to a human rights crisis was recognised by the Australian Human Rights Commission with the award of the 2022 Australian Human Rights Medal.

The Awards were presented at a dinner event attended by UTS senior staff, award sponsors, recipients and their family and friends.  All three law alumni travelled from overseas to receive their Award.