2018 NSW Bar Katrina Dawson Award

The Katrina Dawson Award for 2018 has been awarded to Josie Dempster, currently employed as a solicitor at Sparke Helmore in Canberra.

Raised in Moruya, Josie completed a Bachelor of Laws with Honours and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice at the Australian National University. She was admitted to practice in the ACT in June 2015. Since joining Sparke Helmore she has mentored junior lawyers, served as the firm's pro bono and community coordinator and supervised their involvement in various charity events.

Speaking of the life and career of Katrina Dawson, Ms Dempster said in her application:

“In many respects, I had a very different upbringing to Katrina Dawson. From what I have read about her though, we [share an] intense desire to strive for excellence, to exceed other people's expectations, to give more than we take, to be fierce and fearless, but also to be gentle. If I can achieve one-twentieth of what Katrina achieved in her short but fulfilling career, I will be immensely proud of myself.”

Congratulations Josie, and thank you to the NSW Bar for their continued support in honouring Katrina’s memory.