Admission sittings are often proud family moments for the mover and newly admitted lawyer, none more so than for Louise Hall and her son Henry.
But this time, it was not a parent moving their child’s admission but the other way around.
Henry Hall, Senior Legal Counsel Cyber Litigation & Regulatory Investigations at Medibank, was “lucky enough” to move his mother’s admission to the legal profession in Brisbane last month.
The proud son posted to social media: “After obtaining a couple of masters degrees in nursing, a career as a clinical nurse spanning 30 years and raising two sets of twins (aka four little gremlins) with Dad, Mum decided she wasn’t quite done and decided to get a law degree and as of today, is officially a lawyer.
“A very special moment today after many years of hard work. We’re all so proud of you Mum – a testament that’s it’s never too late. I’m exhausted just writing all your achievements in this post!
“If anyone is looking for a hard working, determined, resilient, compassionate and newly admitted lawyer full of life experience, Mum is your best bet.”
Louise signing the solicitors roll.
And for Louise, Henry “was always my first choice to move my admission as he has supported me every step of my journey”, always telling me ‘Mum you have got this’ and ‘don’t give up now you are nearly there!'”
“If I was ever doubting I could pass a subject or whether to start my PLT straight after my graduation,” the qualified nurse said.
“Without Henry’s encouragement and his wonderful support as well as the rest of my family, I would not have persisted this far. I didn’t think it was unusual to have a son be a mover for his mother but I realise now it would be a rare occurrence, and for me and Henry it was a very happy occasion.
“For me, my admission was a family affair and my extended family and two close friends from my high school days were with me at the admission.”
Louise said she had always wanted to study law and that interest was piqued in high school.
“I had a really great modern history teacher called Miss Mann and she was studying law part time. She was extremely knowledgeable and she was my inspiration plus the fact that she wore fantastic clothes,” she said.
“But I decided on a career in nursing at the last minute when I finished grade 12 because I could train in the hospital based apprenticeship and earn a wage as well. My TE score had not been what I predicted and I didn’t have enough points to get into university to study law.
“During my long career as a nurse, I realised that law and informed consent was an essential part of my nursing practice. I planned several years ago that if I could get into law at QUT I would study part-time and keep working as a clinical nurse full-time just in case I didn’t finish my law degree. I wanted to fulfil a lifelong dream of becoming a lawyer.”
Henry is one of the younger set of twins and the only lawyer. Louise studied at QUT and Henry was at University of Queensland.
Louise is now planning her future in the legal profession.
“I would be very useful to firms who have medical files to interpret or personal injuries claims. I also want to use my wellness initiatives in the law field because I feel a lot of legal practitioners would benefit from learning healthy ways to cope with stress,” she said.
“I intend to get a position where I can use my communication and listening skills and I want to help people who are disadvantaged such as refugees or families who have suffered some sort of trauma.”
And after managing a nursing career raising two sets of twins and study, Louise admits she has “always been a very busy person – sometimes my life might be described as hectic”. 
“I am also a little bit of a procrastinator however having a law degree and full-time work I had to be organised. I used all my organising skills as a nurse and a life of being a mother of two sets of twins to the maximum while I was studying. I also kept healthy and ate well and I use mindfulness every day. I remember to have fun always,” she said.
“Deadlines and due dates were my order of the day! Somehow I just kept achieving my aims and pushed through the exams, COVID, my husband having a life-threatening illness and recovering, and finally I was admitted on 19 February 2024 in the Supreme Court with my mother Pam Healy and my family and friends by my side.”
We help firms and their teams celebrate admissions. There are admission sittings next week. Please email details of any admissions to proctor@qls.com.au. Ensure you include some details of their experience and achievements, along with a quality head-and-shoulders image.
One Response
Congratulations Louise, what an achievement! Truly inspirational.