A student from regional Western Australia has been awarded this year’s prestigious Ciara Glennon Memorial Law Scholarship at The University of Western Australia.
Scholarship Recipient
Twenty-three-year-old Lawson O’Brien, who grew up in Tom Price and Geraldton, is currently pursuing a postgraduate Juris Doctor after completing a Bachelor of Commerce degree at UWA, which included a semester abroad in Norway.
About the Scholarship
The scholarship recognizes a law student who demonstrates financial need, community contribution, interests beyond the legal profession, a balanced approach to life, and concern for others. Established in 1998 by UWA’s Law School with support from the Glennon family, it is sponsored by Ashurst (formerly Blake Dawson), where Ms Glennon worked.
Mr O’Brien lived in Tom Price until age 10 before moving to Geraldton, where he attended Nagle Catholic College. He said his passion for law was sparked by his Year 11 and 12 politics and law teacher, Rebecca Forbes-Ritchie.
“I really enjoyed politics and law at school and my teacher was very knowledgeable and passionate about the issues that were going on at the time,” Mr O’Brien said. “So it was good to be able to debate and discuss those issues further with someone who was very interested in them as well.”
Supporting His Studies
To support himself while studying, Mr O’Brien has been working as an educator in an out-of-hours school care service. He said the scholarship would ease financial pressure and allow him to spend more time focusing on his studies.
Outside university, Lawson also volunteers with Foodbank Geraldton, where his father is the manager. “When he’s short on volunteers, I help by stacking shelves, doing stocktake or serving customers,” he said. “Most of the work is menial and repetitive but it’s meaningful to me – I get to help those doing it tough who come in all forms.”
Future Plans
Although he has not yet decided which area of law to pursue, he said he would welcome the opportunity to return to regional WA in the future. “I wouldn’t mind at all if the law took me back to Geraldton – there are a few lawyers but they kind of do a bit of everything, which I think would be very interesting because then you’re not pigeon-holed into doing the same thing every day,” he said.
