Vani Tamanivalu’s journey to the law had some stops and starts but inspirational words five years ago helped her to achieve her goal.
The Pasifika Lawyers Association of Queensland (PLAQ) management committee member was one of more than 130 newly admitted lawyers at a Supreme Court admission sitting at Banco Court in Brisbane on 17 February.
Vani at the Banco Court.
“My interest in pursuing law started 30 plus years ago. When I left high school, I was fortunate to have been awarded an academic scholarship by the New Zealand government to complete a con-joint degree in both commerce and law,” Vani said.
“At the time I opted to drop the law degree in my second year because I wanted to get into the workforce and not have to study for a further two to three years – the short-sightedness and impatience of youth!
“There are no regrets though (apart from the hefty university legal study fees), as a mature age student my life experience gave me a better appreciation, and a deeper perspective and enjoyment of studying law during my Juris Doctor course.
“I believe we all have a calling; I simply took the long way and was enriched by other work experiences and perspectives to get here.”
The final inspiration in her pursuit to study law came at a Kingdom International Legal Network (KILN) in Fiji in January 2020.
“The two inspired words I received was getting older should not be an excuse to stop learning from Dr Wan, a Singaporean lawyer who was 70 and headed the Singapore Kindness Movement at the time, and had accomplished many different careers,” she recalled.
“The other was Wendy Francis, who headed the Australian Christian Lobby at the time, and she spoke on the importance of advocacy and practical tips on lobbying government officials, particularly for Christian lawyers having their voice heard in the public square and to give voice to those that have none.”
And the wait was worth it – with the official sitting at Banco Court creating a special memory for Vani.
“What I was most impacted by the admission ceremony was the court etiquette of the proceeding and the solemnity and order of the occasion as I came into the ceremony never having witnessed an admission sitting,” she said.
“It was really in that moment of stillness prior to the honourable judges stepping into the room that I fully processed the full breadth of all the wins and challenges of the five-year journey I had navigated to be sitting in that courtroom that morning. I felt humbled, relieved, excited and grateful for finally becoming a lawyer.
“I also was really impacted by the words that the Honourable Chief Justice Helen Bowskill shared, particularly about not being afraid to stand up and speak up for what I believe in, even in the face of a majority, reminding us that being a lawyer is not just about economic gain but to give time and space for pro-bono work and legal clinics to help those less fortunate, and that changing mindsets and precedents requires creativity, and though this may take time even a generation, it is not impossible.
“These points resonated with me and affirmed my decision of why I chose to pursue a career in law.”
And choosing Heilala Tabete, who is a Director of Vocare Law and one of the PLAQ founders, to move her admission was “only fitting”.
Heilala Tabete moved Vani’s admission.
“We are great friends who are family, being Fijians by ethnicity. She is also one of the founders of KILN. It was only fitting for me that Heilala moved my admission as it was on her invitation to the KILN conference that started my journey to pursue my law studies.
“This very KILN conference is being held here in Australia in Brisbane for the very first time next week. I have gone from attending my first one as an interested party, to being a law student when it was held in Kenya in 2023 to now for the first time as a lawyer in 2025. It really has come full circle.”
It was a special occasion for Heilala having not moved an admission before.
“I know that lawyers are asked by soon-to-be-admitted-lawyers as a sign of mutual respect and acknowledging the investment of the mover with an admittee. To be asked by Vani was an honour for the reasons she gave.
“When we founded KILN in 2016 in Fiji, we had no idea the impact or the reach it would have. Now having held three conferences in Fiji (twice) and Kenya reaching and encouraging 320 Christian lawyers and law students, Vani’s full circle story makes sense, and it’s a privilege to be part of her journey. We are excited and expectant for KILN2025 being held this week at the Stamford Plaza, Brisbane.
“Another central aspect of Vani’s story is our Fijian heritage, which brings us to Pasifika Lawyers Association of Queensland. PLAQ is an association, I founded along with Trina Faaiuaso of Legal Aid Queensland (Samoan heritage) and Leilehua Fa’onevai of Crown Law Queensland (Tongan heritage) and others, who have moved on from Queensland or are no longer in law.
“In 2013, we wanted to provide space to encourage law students and lawyers of Pasifika heritage to gather, celebrate, learn and help members of our communities in all things relating to law. In those early days, diverse as our small group of Pasifika lawyers was, we spoke often of our common Pasifika heritage, we recognised our intrinsic cultural values and the impact it had on our study of law, we shared our hardships about studying law as well as living, contributing and strengthening our communities in Queensland.”
Heilala said PLAQ was appreciative of “Vani’s maturity and wisdom, describing her energy and camaraderie as a blessing”.
“We all look forward to what the future holds for Vani, PLAQ and KILN,” she said.
Vani is pivoting from a communications and change management career to pursue a career in law because “I have developed over time a passion to see more people have access to justice”.
“At the core of everything I do, I like to help people have the freedom to express their voice and be heard. They say knowledge is power and I believe understanding the law is currency to be able to do so,” she said.
“This is my first step into a career in law and I have not thought too much into the future. My only hope is that in the times ahead I will always endeavour to fulfil the reasons for choosing to become a lawyer.”
More than 130 lawyers signed the roll.
Admitted in Brisbane on 17 February 2025 before the Chief Justice, Justice Gotterson and Justice Williams: Dow; Nguyen; Batista; Thomas; Farago; Chen; Waller; Russell; Evans; Loewenthal; J Campbell; Fowler; Phillips; Berlin; Wilkins; Georgiopoulos; Jones; Tsang; Robertson; Paltoglou; Newton; Tierney; List; Mulholland. Leeming; Sharma; Sydes; Goldsworthy; Tran; Chandi; Gillespie; Mills; Parnell; De Luca; Tooney; Boyes; Shin; Howard; Wilson; Lindeberg; Wende; Higgins; Mason; Tamanivalu; Vuga; Dimitrios. Yavuzer; Byrne; Rehbein; Hiscock; McDonald; Finnimor; McDougall; Qiu; Meehan; Reimers; Van Lint; Haines; Moulton; Williamson; Lightfoot; Liszewski; Whybird; Doan; Gronum; Roche; Anderson; Bai; Carlyle; Long. Sanderson; Talukdar; Clemente; Ducharme; McKee; Spicer; James; Espares; Fisher; McClymont; Simonidis; Dunk; Keenan; Altimimi; Bavelaar Morris; Cowling; Jones; Paiva; Zeng; Lane; Flint; Zhang; Edwards; Carvalho. Whitburn-Cassin; Birkensleigh; Nouroz Ali; Fancourt; Springall; Watson; Oh; Shakibaie; Bevan; Hickson; Truong; Rossow; Micallef; McIntyre; Chippindall; Jones; Coleman; Gopaul; Fiori; Narith; Atkinson; Chung; Grennan; Stevens. Blazely; Field; Batth; Zeolla; Trott; San Diego; Burke-Simmonds; Hogden; Assink; Collins; Planojevic; Bourke; McCubbin; Hassen; Maas; Klein.
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