On Tuesday 25 November 2025, Indigenous law students registered to attend the 2025 National Indigenous Legal Conference had the opportunity to attend the First Nations Law Student Day. The day was generously sponsored by the Council of Australian Law Deans and Ashurst, coordinated by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), and hosted at Ashurst’s offices in Brisbane. 

The day began with an inspiring presentation from Professor Nicole Watson, Director of the Indigenous Law and Justice Hub at the University of Melbourne, who spoke about the history of Indigenous people in the legal profession. This provided an important background for students, and highlighted the need for more education, both at law school and for the general public, about the important contribution Indigenous people have made to law.

Dr Heron Loban, Managing Director of Mura Lagh, spoke about Indigenous legal identity, and her own experience of navigating the legal profession and finding her identity as both an Indigenous person and a legal professional. 

Nicole Slaney, Early Careers People & Culture Consultant at Ashurst, gave some key tips for students about applying for jobs, preparing for interviews and drafting CVs and cover letters. These tips were very helpful and relevant, especially as students begin thinking about applying for internships, clerkships and graduate roles.

Following lunch, a Graduate lawyer at Ashurst, Cameron Downey, shared insights from his own journey from law school to legal practice as an Indigenous person. His story provided a tangible and inspiring example for the students of what navigating the legal landscape can be like.

Leesa Watego, Managing Director of Iscariot Media, led an interactive and engaging session in the afternoon to help students craft their story for networking and job interviews. They then had a chance to put their stories into practice in a “speed yarning” session.

The day ended with a yarning circle, where students had the chance to hear from four different legal professionals about their different career choices and journeys into the law. Coby Foster from Norton Rose Fulbright, Candice Hughes from YFS Legal, Lorelei Billing from ATSILS and Mollie O’Connor from First Languages Australia shared insights and advice, and provided an opportunity for students to start building their networks.

Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in this important event. And a huge thank you to Bianca Hill-Jarro, the Indigenous Australian Senior Student Success Coach at QUT, whose tireless work planning and coordinating ensured that the Law Student Day was a success.

We hope that the students felt inspired and prepared to attend the National Indigenous Legal Conference.

Thank you also to all the sponsors of the First Nations Law Student Day, without whom this event would not have been possible.