UTS Law alumna and Kennedys partner, Rebekah Giles
Studying for a degree in the UTS Law school is about so much more than academic achievement and success.
This might seem a strange message to deliver at the annual Law Awards ceremony but it’s one of the points alumna, Rebekah Giles stressed in her address at the 2019 event.
Rebekah is a partner in Kennedys Law firm and specialises in reputational risk, commercial litigation and dispute resolution. In 2017, she received the UTS Law Alumni Award for excellence.
Rebekah graduated almost 20 years ago and, while she definitely achieved academic success, she says she learnt many more important lessons during her five years studying law:
It was all of the other things that have been the point of difference for me – the processes, the skills and other qualitative measures. Developing analytical and logical thinking – the ability to persuade and influence, but most importantly, recognising and harnessing the power of personal relationships.
Rebekah says her teachers and lecturers were ‘real life lawyers’ who had real world experience and took a genuine interest in her which is why she is happy to sing the praises of UTS Law:
In my daily life, I meet lots of lawyers and law students. And I’ll tell anyone who will listen what a special law school UTS is, and how unique it is in its approach to learning.
Not surprisingly, Dean of Law, Lesley Hitchens agrees:
We have a demonstrated reputation for innovation in the courses and the teaching we offer. We are a modern, innovative and future-focussed law school. You could even describe us as ‘edgy’.
For Rebekah, what she learnt through her time at UTS Law took on a very personal significance when she was severely injured in the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. She says having a ‘legal mind’ actually helped her survive the subsequent operations and arduous recovery:
In the really tough moments – that involved extreme physical and mental challenge – using my lawyer mind to process things rationally and logically, to distil overwhelmingly large and heavy concepts into digestible pieces, as well as having a mindset of gratitude – this focused me on moving forward instead of wallowing in self-pity.
Rebekah’s sage advice for law students is to be generous with their skills and ability and to invest time and energy in causes greater than themselves and their personal aspirations.
Photographs from the evening available here