Katrina Dawson Award from the NSW Bar Association

We are delighted to share that the NSW Bar Association has selected Sosan Rahimi as the recipient of the Katrina Dawson Award for September 2025.

Sosan studied a combined Bachelor of Law (Honours) and Bachelor of Science (Psychology) at the University of New South Wales, and was admitted to practice in December 2019.

Highlights of Sosan’s career (so far) include stints with state government agencies (the Department of Finance, the Crown Solicitor’s Office and the Department of Premier and Cabinet), working as a lawyer at Arnold Bloch Leibler and serving as an Associate to the Hon Justice Elizabeth Cheeseman of the Federal Court of Australia. Sosan is also a Teaching Fellow at UNSW. She is committed to advocacy for asylum seekers and refugees, and also mentors young female lawyers from diverse backgrounds. Sosan is looking forward to joining the Bar where she hopes to draw on her skills and lived experience to serve the community, including by developing a pro bono practice with a focus on immigration and human rights law.

Sosan was admitted to practice in December 2019, having studied a combined Bachelor of Law (Honours) and Bachelor of Science (Psychology) at the University of New South Wales.

Before she was admitted, Sosan worked in various state government agencies including the Department of Finance, the Crown Solicitor’s Office and the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Following her admission Sosan worked as a lawyer and subsequently Senior Associate at Arnold Bloch Leibler where she acted for companies and individuals in commercial litigation and corporate disputes across state and federal jurisdictions. She served as Associate to the Hon Justice Elizabeth Cheeseman of the Federal Court of Australia from 2021 to 2022.

Sosan is presently a Senior Associate in Maurice Blackburn Lawyers' class actions practice. Alongside her practice, Sosan is a Teaching Fellow at UNSW where she delivers lectures and seminars in contracts, equity and trusts. She has also maintained a longstanding commitment to advocacy for asylum seekers and refugees, having volunteered with the Refugee Advice and Casework Service. Sosan also invests time in the mentorship of young women from diverse backgrounds through mentorship programs such as HSF Women in Law.

Sosan is looking forward to joining the Bar where she hopes to draw on her skills and lived experience to serve the community, including by developing a pro bono practice with a focus on immigration and human rights law. She is also committed to promoting the inclusion of diverse women in legal practice and the Bar. Sosan passed the Bar Exam in June 2025.