Rowena White

Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar

Media Profile

“A community is dependent on a well-functioning legal system that is able to protect the rights of its citizens. The Australian legal system is faced with similar issues to the U.S. courts – for example, the balance between anti-terrorism laws and individual liberties, the boundaries of scientific research, and the prevention of corporate collapses, to name just a few. The members of the legal profession must be able to draw on cross-jurisdictional experiences and knowledge to assist in the resolution of such issues.”

Rowena White, who completed a Bachelor of Commerce and an Honours Degree of the Bachelor of Laws at the University of Adelaide, has won a Fulbright Scholarship to undertake research towards her LLM Masters Degree. Rowena hopes to study at either Columbia University or Harvard Law School, where she will undertake subjects focusing on corporations law issues and “aspects of public law concerned with the State’s ability to control the freedom of the individual”.

Currently working as an Associate to the Hon. Justice Mansfield at the Federal Court of Australia, Rowena has been exposed to a wide variety of legal disputes throughout each of the States and Territories, and hopes to broaden those experiences in the course of her LLM degree. “The opportunity to mix with people of various legal and social backgrounds would provide a deeper insight into the social issues facing Australian and American society and into how I can contribute to their improvement.”

With her Fulbright Scholarship, Rowena hopes to expand her considerable skills and knowledge “for the benefit of the Australian community”, and to explore certain aspects of the law such as increasing the accessibility of the courts, and the profession in general, to the community.

In future Rowena wishes to contribute to the development of the law through both court advocacy and academic writing. “I aim to develop the capacity to contribute to the needs of others by providing consistent support and service to the legal profession and wider community; not only through the provision of pro-bono work but also by participating in law reform initiatives directed towards improving those aspects of our dispute resolution system which may be inefficient or inaccessible.”

Given her record in commitment to the needs and servicing of her community at school, during her university studies and to the present, there are strong indications she will achieve this. Rowena has an extensive list of honours and medals to her name, having won nearly every academic prize for which she was eligible during her law degree, including a University Medal. As well as performing outstandingly in her academic endeavours, Rowena has spent much of her personal time undertaking voluntary work for charities and presently works as a volunteer for the disabled.