The Future Leaders Committee (FLC) election was finalised this month with three existing members who nominated for the ‘blue rotation’ re-elected and along with some new faces.
The six elected members are Georgia Athanasellis, Nikki Ball, Emma Kearney, Gemma Kruger, Sam Nelson and Brendan Reidy.
All elected members hold a two-year term running to the financial year. The blue group begins its term on 1 July 2024.
The FLC is the only QLS committee elected by members and serves an important function by supporting and representing the future leaders cohort.
Proctor asked the successful candidates how they felt about being elected (or re-elected) by their peers and their hopes/plan for the committee for the next two years.
Georgia Athanasellis
Georgia Athanasellis: “I’m very grateful for the opportunity to continue working with the other members of the FLC to provide a voice to young lawyers.
“I’m particularly excited about the next season of The Callover and sharing more conversations with remarkable lawyers who are using their skills to help the profession and community more broadly.”
Georgia is a solicitor working in-house at the University of Queensland and for the last three years has been part of the FLC. Her efforts have focused on the creation of The Callover podcast. 
Nikki Ball: “A privilege that I was voted in. Being elected by my peers has given me a confidence to fulfil the role.
“I hope we can reach more young and newly admitted lawyers, firstly to educate them on what the committee does and secondly to become a platform for our peers to voice their ideas and concerns.”
Nikki is a family law solicitor working at North Queensland Women’s Legal Service in Townsville. In 2023 she started travelling to Mt Isa, Charters Towers and Ingham to provide legal services to the wider community. 
Emma Kearney
Emma Kearney: “Honestly, I’m chuffed. It’s really special knowing that my peers have faith in me to advocate for their interests and wellbeing within the profession. The other nominated candidates all had such great ideas and visions for how they could serve on the FLC, so I really am humbled to have been given this opportunity. I just hope I live up to expectations!
“I know the FLC has a few projects on foot at the moment, so I’m looking forward to contributing to those, but there are two key goals I would like to achieve during my time on the committee.
“The first is creating change within the profession that supports young and early career lawyers to establish a healthy work/life balance, which I think is a challenge for practitioners in their first few years on the job. Most lawyers experience burnout throughout their career, so I think it is essential for practitioners to figure out how to look after themselves during their foundational years in the profession.
“The second thing I would like to achieve is setting up a resource for early career lawyers to access when they aren’t receiving guidance or support within their workplace. I appreciate that not all solicitors are fortunate enough to land a job in a firm that harbours a supportive environment, and that many are left to their own devices. I would love to create a resource facilitated by experienced practitioners that allows junior lawyers to reach out and seek advice about general matters so that those who lack guidance within their workplace can still feel supported.“
Emma is an Associate at Bell Criminal Lawyers.
Gemma Kruger
Gemma Kruger: “I am delighted to have been re-elected as a member of the FLC. I have made some great friends and am stoked to have the opportunity to continue working on some fantastic projects as part of the committee.
“I would encourage all early career lawyers to engage with the committee’s initiatives such as the Hub, events including the upcoming Young Lawyers Ball on 18 May 2024 and our The Callover podcast. I am happy for anyone who has any questions about the FLC to reach out to me for a chat.”
Gemma practises exclusively in family and relationship law and, with the support of Lander & Rogers, volunteers with both the Women’s Legal Service and LGBTI Legal Service.
Sam Nelson
Sam Nelson: “My election to the QLS Future Leaders Committee represents a key achievement in my career and one I’m extremely excited to commence. This role signifies a crucial point in my career to drive positive change within our field, with a particular focus on early career lawyers.
“I am keen to collaborate with the other committee members to create and drive initiatives that foster growth, development and opportunity where it is of vital importance. The FLC has achieved great results in the past and the confidence my colleagues have shown in electing me to the FLC is both flattering and motivating.
“I will strive to repay the confidence my colleagues have shown me, by being a strong advocate for early-career lawyers to ensure their voice is not only heard but acted upon.
“A powerful quote I recently heard was ‘If it isn’t broken, break it’. This resonated with me for two reasons: 1. Even the most successful products/services should be challenged to allow growth and opportunity; and 2. Not to simply accept or adopt the norm, but to think from a creative and innovative perspective. Being toward the top end of the age bracket and pivoting my career from finance to law, has given me a broad perspective of the challenges and issues that young lawyers face. Looking ahead, I am determined to drive meaningful change within the FLC and the wider legal community. My key focus will be ensuring the many early-career lawyers the FLC represents have the opportunities to not only dream big but have the tools at their disposal to turn those dreams into reality.“
Sam Nelson is a commercial litigator with Axia Litigation Lawyers on the Sunshine Coast.
Brendan Reidy
Brendan Reidy: “For me, the thing I am most pleased about is being able to continue the good work of the FLC in a renewed term, after feeling like I have really only just settled in on the committee.
“Since my appointment in July 2023, it took a few months to get up to speed and the more recent months have been spent putting our plans into effect. Now that my feet are under the desk so to speak, I feel like we are well placed to hit the ground running in the renewed term.“
Brendan was re-elected to the Future Leaders Committee. Brendan is a Senior Associate at Behlau Murakami Grant.
To learn more about the FLC members and charter, click here.
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