"The law is all around us and it is incredibly important that we are aware of how it works."

The  Annual Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards, are without doubt a highlight on the Australian legal calendar.

Recognising individual excellence in the law, from the profession’s most senior ranks to its rising stars, Deakin Law School is proud to announce that Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws student Cassandra Seery is among this year’s finalists for the coveted Law Student of the Year award.

Expected to finish her Deakin law degree in October, Cassandra says being nominated for this award is particularly special to her, because it acknowledges the changing expectations facing law students and graduates as they prepare to enter the legal profession.

‘While academic performance is still an essential element to a successful career in the law, there is an awareness that students are already engaging with the profession as never before and given the tough market law students are facing, it is extremely important to acknowledge some of the incredible work students do in this space,’ she says.

For Cassandra the field of law was always a fascination, but it wasn’t until she was in her early twenties that she decided to pursue studies and a career in law.

‘I have always been interested to see the law at work, be it in everyday situations like a parking fine, or with decisions that affect our entire society – such as the dismissal of Gough Whitlam.

‘These situations just highlight to me that the law is all around us and it is incredibly important that we are aware of how it works and how it applies to us both individually and as a community.’

Cassandra says that through studying at Deakin, she has had the opportunity to travel the world, mentor fellow students and engage with various areas of the legal profession – something that has given her the confidence to pursue her professional aspirations.

Among an impressive list of achievements already listed on her resume, including work experience at the Supreme Court of Victoria, Victoria Legal Aid, the Department of Human Services and Amnesty International Australia, she says that her involvement with the Law Institute of Victoria has been a definitive highlight.

‘I have been the co-chair of the LIV Young Lawyers’ Section Editorial Committee for almost two years and I am a project leader for the Young Lawyers’ Section Mentor Program Initiative, which is designed to give law students an opportunity to connect with young lawyers within the profession,’ she says.

With a passion to use her newly gained skills to help vulnerable members in our community, particularly families and children, it is Cassandra’s goal to start her career as a Judge’s Associate and then move into family and children’s law.

We wish Cassandra all the best this Thursday 17 September, when the 2015 Law Student of the Year awardee will be announced.