Each year WLAQ celebrates and honours three outstanding women who have made contributions to the legal profession in Queensland. Categories of awards include:
The awards are open to any woman holding a law degree who is actively involved in the legal profession or a law-related field in Queensland (including private practice, community legal service work, government, academia, in-house practice or self-employed). Nominees should demonstrate professional excellence and integrity in her chosen field and, through her work and activities, have displayed an awareness for the needs and concerns of women and contributed to the advancement of women in the law.
At the Awards Dinner the Queensland Law Society also presents the Agnes McWhinney Award, for the second year. This award acknowledges outstanding professional or community contribution by a woman lawyer who has practiced as a solicitor. This annual award recognises the significant involvement of women in the legal profession and the community. The award is in recognition of Agnes McWhinney's achivements as the first woman in Queensland to be admitted as a solicitor in 1915.
In the case of Women Lawyer of the Year, the nominee should have achieved a high level of skill and/or office in her chosen field and contributed to the advancement of the women generally and/or within the legal profession. Previous winners have included former Queensland Law Society President Megan Mahon, Margaret Brown, The Honourable Ann Lyons, Professor Rosemary Hunter, Susan Francis and Clare Endicott.
The Regional Women Lawyer of the Year award celebrates women involved in the legal profession or a related field in Regional Queensland. “Regional Queensland” means anywhere in Queensland except the Brisbane or Gold Coast metropolitan areas, as determined by WLAQ Committee at its discretion. The award is designed to recognise women who have overcome the difficulties related to working in regional Queensland as well as recognising their personal achievements. Previous winners include Magistrate Sandra Pearson, Maxine Baldwin and Kristyn Everett.
The Emergent Women Lawyer of the Year award recognises women who has been admitted as a legal practitioner for five years or less or, if not admitted, who has completed a law degree not more than seven years ago. Previous winners include Genevieve Dee, Samantha Carroll, Carla Klease, Sylvia Ng and Sunni Dawson.
The 2011 awards dinner were held on Friday, 9 September 2011. You can read about these amazing women. See the 2011 winners, and those honoured as the 2009 winners.
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