I qualified as a Solicitor in England and Wales in February 2010 and when I arrived in Darwin I knew I would need to do a bit more studying to qualify as a Solicitor in the Northern Territory.
You may recall it turned out that I had to do a LOT more studying to qualify and I began those studies with Charles Darwin University in March 2015 and finished them in November 2016.
Two years down and six subjects later, I then had the mad dash to send documents to New South Wales so they could give me the approval I needed within a 3 or so day turnaround so I could submit the documents in time to qualify in December 2016.
The mad dash worked out and I got the news that I would be admitted as a Solicitor in December 2016.
The ceremony in Darwin for admissions is really lovely. You have to have your admission “moved” by a Solicitor already admitted as a Lawyer. The people being admitted then line up in order of the Solicitor moving their admission’s seniority. We then all stood up one by one whilst the Solicitor essentially presented us to the Judges of the Supreme Court which involved telling them our history, hobbies and interests before the Law Society confirmed they did not object to our admission.
I asked the Solicitor I worked for to move my admission and she gave a lovely speech about my personal history, family, the Aussies and friends all of whom provided me with so much support during the qualification process.
After everyone had been presented to the Court, we had to swear an oath about our duties as a Solicitor before we signed the Roll of Solicitors.
My family were unable to travel at the short notice we had because we didn’t know I would definitely be admitted as a Solicitor until a week or so before because the documents have to be approved by a Committee. My admission included lovely words about my family which I really appreciated.
The Aussie came along to my admission as did some of our friends which was lovely and we went out for brunch/lunch afterwards, enjoyed some champagne (best tasting champagne I have had in a while) and I bought a beautiful peace of art which will always remind me of that day.
Qualifying was a huge relief, I really didn’t enjoy the studying this time round but it has enabled me to find a job in Brisbane so we could relocate as we had been planning which I am grateful for. It’s all part of the journey after all.
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