There was no one more surprised about the inaugural Downs South West Queensland Law Association (DSWQLA) Lawyer of the Year Award announcement than the winner herself Alysha Jacobsen.
The awards were held announced at the Association’s sold-out Annual Law Ball at The Annex in Toowoomba on 21 October.
In a social media post, Alysha remarked: “So, in a shock turn of events, I actually won.”
“I had entirely convinced myself that I had no chance of winning this award,” the post read.
She thanked her colleagues Jessica Goldie, Kirstie Smith, and Nikola Prince for their support.
Alysha is a Senior Associate at Toowoomba firm Bouchier Khan Lawyers, where she works predominantly in criminal law, as well as in domestic violence, child protection and civil litigation. She appears almost daily in the Magistrates Court on a range of criminal and traffic matters. She also appears in Courts across the Darling Downs and regularly appears in the District and Supreme Courts.
In 2020, 2021 and 2022, Alysha was named in the Women Lawyers Association of Queensland Inspo List. She is also DSWQLA Vice President.
District Court Chief Judge at the awards.
The inaugural Award for Emerging Lawyer went to Sarah de Wit, who works at Murdoch Lawyers specialising in energy and resources law.
Sarah completed her law degree at the University of Southern Queensland in 2020, and was admitted in November 2021.
Sarah works at Toowoomba firm Murdoch Lawyers where she specialises in energy and resources law. Her primary focus is on securing compensation for clients in negotiations with resource and energy companies and government bodies.
She is a member of the Queensland Branch’s committee of the Asian Australian Lawyers Association, a member of the UniSQ alumni network, and DSWQLA Treasurer.
Queensland Law Society 25-year memberships pins were also presented at the awards.
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