When Leo Southcott needed a mover for his admission to the profession, he needed to look no further than his older brother Hugo.
The insurance and corporate risk lawyer at McCullough Robertson was one of more than 100 lawyers admitted to the Supreme Court in late August in Brisbane’s Banco Court.
Big brother Hugo, who is a member of the Queensland Law Society Disability & Accessibility Network and Queensland Young Lawyers Secretary, is a Senior Associate at West Garbutt.
“I asked my brother Hugo. Why? He’s family. It was also an easy decision because he has provided significant assistance to me over the past six years,” Leo said.
“I would say he has had made the most direct contribution to my overall journey. In some respects, he’s a mentor.
“He has also witnessed the highs and lows of my experience in uni, clerkships, my graduate role and the admission process so it made sense that he also share in the ceremony.”
Leo said he felt tremendous pride sharing the career milestone with Hugo.
“I most remember feeling a sense of pride while I was standing and watching Hugo speak before the court,” he shared.
“It dawned on me quite clearly in that moment that we were both lawyers. I also remember smiling, then second-guessing myself about whether that was appropriate for a courtroom setting, then tempering that smile.”
Hugo said he felt honoured to move his brother’s admission.
“It was an absolute privilege to move my brother’s admission and be a part of his journey to becoming a lawyer, witnessing every step of the way from university to admission,” he said.
“It was wonderful to share this special moment with him, which was the culmination of this chapter of his career. Seeing him achieve this milestone was not just a proud moment for our family, but also a testament to his hard work and dedication.
“As his brother and mentor, it’s been wonderful to watch him grow and develop in the law. It’s been particularly special to see him follow in my footsteps in some respects into a similar career path – it has only strengthened the brotherly bond we share.”
Leo said he did not set out to study law until late into his last year of high school.
“I was always good at English in school (and less proficient in maths) and I knew I wanted to do something challenging because that was, and still is, a strong value of mine,” he said.
“So I thought law and business was a good fit. I did explore becoming an economist but after working in that area for a bit I came to the view (after nearly four years of uni) that law was a more challenging and impactful career where the ‘ceiling of learning’ was very high. Lawyers do serious and important work.”
And Leo is stting his goals high.
“At this stage, my goal would be to become partner but naturally my goals might change. I currently work at McCullough Robertson in the Insurance and Corporate Risk area. I’m rotating teams soon so I can’t be sure where I’ll end up but I could certainly see myself staying in this area.”
Also admitted was Siobhan Huntley and Stewart Family Law congratulates her admission to legal practice in August 2025.
Siobhan Huntley with Judy Stewart.
Siobhan started working at Stewart Family Law in January 2023 as an administrative assistant before her promotion to paralegal.
Siobhan completed her Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Criminology at Griffith University in 2024.
Siobhan works closely with accredited family law solicitors Judy Stewart and Temika Slee at Stewart Family Law and provides them with invaluable assistance as a graduate lawyer.
Admitted on 25 August 2025 in Brisbane before the President of the Court of Appeal Justice Mullins, Justice Boddice and Justice Cooper: Garske; Flavel; Clarkin; Sullivan; Harrison; Killen; Jackson; Hardie; Panzarino; Webber; Muir; Jones; Powys; Southcott; Carr; Lubbock; Donohoe; Freislich; Dean; Meyer; Blackall; Benson; Swann; Do.
Samuels; Gagner; Allison; Quirk; Zoppi; L Smith; Maddock; S Moore; Gray; Ward; Maguire; Mawson; Gentner; Rowlands; Chay; Funnell; Humphreys; Gibney; Huntley; Langdon; Bronson; Delabbio; Hogno; Milton.
Castle; Granzien; Pace; Sculpher; Connors; Pope; Middleton; Schoorl; Beach; Bennett; Soccol; T Smith; Chudleigh; Brown; Campbell; Lonie; McDonald; Chetty; Gallagher; Wilson; Karam; Yang; Kirkpatrick; Lal.
McLeod; MacNevin; Denison; M Smith; Taylor; Chapman; Leigh; Zhang; Dutta; Robertson; Swindells; Ritua; D Moore; Young; Wells; McIlwraith; Mah; Dickson; Kane; Simpson; Hem; Wang; Day; Buys.
Otto; Daley; Harris; Kuskie; Owen; Dunn-Coves; A Smith; Abdurrahman; Tucker; Hanmer; K Clark; Formosa; McCallum; Tomscoll; Clews; Frenzel; Misuraca; J Clark; Knight; Opray; Lavatai; Robe; Yoo; Hornsby.
Carson; Mau; Chalker; Kelma; Youels; Bourke; Marler; Radnedge; Burt; Tanks; Finzel; Kuba; Nguyen; Asif; Ncube; Loveridge; Senden; Manning.
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