Thriving on her chosen path

“Why did you choose to study law?” 

It’s a question commonly asked of young hopefuls who are pursuing a career in the legal profession. For Alicia Goldsworthy, who recently graduated with Bachelor of Laws from ACU, the attraction came down to the wide range of options a law degree can offer.   

“I’ve always enjoyed the fact that law is quite broad,” says Alicia, who now works as a Law Graduate with Hall & Wilcox, an independent law firm in Melbourne. “There are so many directions you can take a law degree, and so many opportunities that can come from it.” 

As is common amongst those who enter the profession, she also relishes the chance to make a difference.   

“It feels good to have the opportunity to help the people you work with,” she says, “to influence change and do something positive for others.” 

Sharing knowledge

As it happens, Alicia is no stranger to helping others.   

A few years ago, when she was at high school, she founded Knowledge is Power, a small organisation with a big goal: to minimise cyberbullying, help young people with online engagement, and prevent youth suicide. 

Her project was so well-received that it earned her the title of “inspiring Melburnian” during a Seven News segment in 2018, and Frankston City Council’s award for the Young Citizen of the Year in 2019. 

Alicia’s generation was the first to have regular exposure to social media, smartphones, and constant digital connectivity from an early age – and many of them also experienced cyberbullying. 

Having been a target of online bullies herself, the young Alicia refused to become a victim. Instead, she used her experience to educate other teenagers and children about online safety.   

“Young people in my age group were like the guinea pigs with the evolution of large-scale social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat,” says Alicia, who in year 12 was school captain at the John Paul College in Frankston. 

“I remember standing there at recess or lunchtime and everyone was on their phones playing with Snapchap filters and stuff like that, but when things got tough with online bullying, there was nobody to talk to about it.”

Alicia happily graduates.

Worse still, teachers and other adults were often too far removed from the realities of online teen life to properly help. 

“When people did come in talk to us about online engagement, they were our parents’ age, and it often felt like we were being lectured to,” she says. 

Alicia spent hundreds of hours developing her program, and since 2015 has presented workshops to youths and parents in Victorian schools.  

“I thought it would be really beneficial if a young person could speak to other young people about cyber safety, and also engage parents and allow them the opportunity to view the topic from a young person’s perspective.”

Her early foray into online safety education sparked an interest in cyber law and intellectual property, topics she studied with enthusiasm during her law degree, and which she hopes to pursue in her career.   

“One of my long-term goals would be to merge my interest in cyber safety with my legal knowledge, so I can help to spread more awareness about online safety and cyber security among young people, but also businesses and not-for-profits,” she says. 

“It’s a huge issue in our society and a challenge I really want to focus on as my career progresses, as I become more experienced and established in the legal profession.” 

Savouring the challenge

Which brings us back to our original question: Why study law? 

Well, not only does it open up a range of career pathways, but it can also give you a chance to influence change and make a difference. 

For Alicia Goldsworthy, there is one other small but significant reason why she has pursued a career in law.   

“I suppose I’ve always liked a good argument,” she says, revealing a trait that will put her good stead in her chosen profession. 

“At law school I learned a lot about communication and the benefits of certain ways of expressing things, and it’s really fun to put that into practice. I think it’s true to say that studying law and pursuing it as a profession can be challenging, but the challenging parts of it are also where the real excitement comes in.” 

Keen to pursue a rewarding career in the law? Explore the options.