Service a launchpad to legal careers

ACU's Carla Todaro Memorial Law Scholarship recipients Kashish Madhani and Jock Green are among a generation of young legal professionals who have embraced fighting for the vulnerable.

Content warning: This story contains references to suicide. Reader discretion is advised.

Kashish combines her final year Bachelor of Laws study at Blacktown Campus with work at a law firm and volunteering at Shopfront Youth Legal Justice Centre.

A dedicated scholar recognised with a Faculty Commendation for her high GPA, she has turned her talent for forming an argument into a powerful resource for those who would otherwise not have access to legal assistance.

“It’s been so rewarding. Some people might go through their whole career without doing pro bono,” said Kashish who grew up in Glenwood, not far from the Blacktown Campus.

“I want to help people, and the pro bono work has not only helped me do that, but it’s enabled me to experience different areas of law.”

Now a paralegal at commercial law firm White & Case in Melbourne, Jock completed his pro bono units at Refugee Legal, Australia's largest provider of free legal assistance to people seeking asylum, refugees, and disadvantaged migrants.

“The two years that I spent working at Refugee Legal made me appreciate how fortunate and privileged I am,” he said.

“It was a fantastic opportunity to get some experience at a law firm, particularly at a community legal centre and in an area of law that I am passionate about.”

Standing up

Both Kashish and Jock embody the importance of standing up for the marginalised.

They were recipients of ACU’s Carla Todaro Memorial Law Scholarship, a bursary established in the name of a dedicated student and champion for the vulnerable.

Carla was a promising young lawyer who worked at the Aboriginal Legal Service in Redfern. As an eight-year-old, she played judge in mock legal dramas in the family home, once a courtroom in Carcoar, New South Wales.

Carla Todaro

A fierce advocate and past winner of the contract law prize, Carla’s life was cut short in 2020 just months after she graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours). 

Few knew she had for years carried her own shield as she faced mental illness, all the while helping others who were similarly in need.

“She’d found her thing in life,” Carla’s mother Dianne Todaro-Wells said.

“Carla once wrote a book arguing the case for ‘Can I get a dog? When she had her mind set on something she was a force.”

Her family hopes the scholarship, now in its fifth year, will support those who follow Carla’s lead and promote conversations about mental health.

“I’m just so proud of anyone who comes forward to take up the scholarship,” Dianne said. “They’re saying yes, mental health is an essential conversation that we need to articulate.

“It’s these lawyers coming through who will be the pattern interrupters, the catalysts for change and who will write new laws.”  

Next step

For Jock, the pro bono experience and financial support provided by the Carla Todaro Memorial Law Scholarship have supercharged him personally and professionally.

He has established a partnership between White & Case and Refugee Legal that provides significant pro bono legal assistance.

“Beyond the financial support, the scholarship was a confidence booster and a validation of my hard work and potential,” he said.

“I can now adopt the values Carla showed in her life to push for more pro bono initiatives.”

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