A newsroom dream to courtroom reality – how Bridie became a rising star in the legal profession | UniSC | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

As a Year 11 student, she had her sights set on becoming a TV journalist, following in the footsteps of Lisa Wilkinson on the Today show.

Now, a rising star in the Australian legal profession, with a number of impressive accolades under her belt, including most-recently being recognised as one of Australasian Lawyer's Most Influential Lawyers for 2024, Bridie reflects on her change of heart and career trajectory.

“My family and I had a meeting with my Legal Studies teacher who said she saw real potential in me and believed the legal profession would miss something if I wasn’t part of it,” Bridie explains.

“That belief in me changed my life’s course."

In some ways it was a leap of faith for Bridie, who is an associate lawyer in the Commercial Law team at Bradley & Bray.

When she embarked on her law degree, she didn’t know a single lawyer. There wasn’t a line of lawyers in the family before her. In fact, Bridie was the first on both sides of her extended family to go to university.

But in other ways, she was destined to become a lawyer.

“I’m such a perfectionist, as the majority of the legal profession are,” she says. “I’m also a very empathetic person, driven to be hard working and love being challenged.

“Being a lawyer is all those things combined, which can be tiring at times but I thrive in that environment.”

Laws program coordinator Dr Ashley Pearson said there was a lot of untapped potential in the community from people who may have never previously considered law as a career option.

“Similar to Bridie’s story, there are people who may be first in their family to attend university – or who may have never considered university as an option – but possess the skills and qualities to excel in the profession,” Dr Pearson said. "At the moment, just under 40 percent of our law students are first in family.

“Often, those who did not initially consider law as a career, find themselves bringing unique perspectives and life experiences that enrich their approach to legal issues."

For Bridie, this has translated into a wall of awards and recognition in the five years since she graduated from her Law degree.

Since joining Bradley & Bray as a law clerk in 2019, she was admitted as a lawyer in 2020 and promoted to associate director in 2023. In 2021, she became the youngest ever elected member of the Queensland Law Society Council. In 2022 she was recognised in the Sunshine Coast Daily’s Rising Stars Under 30, and Top 12 Young Lawyers, and in 2023 she was recognised in the Australasian Lawyers Rising Stars award and was a finalist in the 2023 Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 awards for commercial law.

In terms of job title, Bridie has peaked as an associate director at Bradley & Bray. But in terms of career progression, she intends to explore practice management and the technological innovations that can benefit how to service clients, and run a more profitable business.

Asked if she ever looks back and wishes herself to have become a morning show TV journalist, Bridie guffaws at the prospect of being able to get up at 2am to have hair and make-up done before being on air by 5am.

“Have I ever looked back? I don’t think I have to be honest. When I reflect on how far I have come in five years, I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”