5 People with Law Degrees Who Have Taken or Created an Unconventional Path
/by Imogen Price
UQLS Diversity & Wellbeing Subcommittee Member
1. Mahatma Gandhi – independence leader and activist
Indian Independence and spiritual leader, Gandhi, continues to inspire peaceful resistance and religious tolerance as a renowned advocate of non-violent protest. After studying Law in London and attempting to practice in India, Gandhi developed his early activist skills in South Africa where he lived for over 20 years.[1] Gaining the title Mahatma, ‘great soul’, and having his birthday celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence, Gandhi’s legal work in South Africa, political works with the Indian National Congress and simultaneous activism is an exemplary model for using your legal studies to impart meaningful change. His expectations of the legal systems and their consequential shortcomings led Gandhi to a life of peaceful civil disobedience, “an expression of one’s highest respect for the law.”[2]
2. Rebel Wilson – writer, producer and actress
For Wilson, she knew she wanted to be on the big screen, but in such a competitive and volatile industry, she had to have a fallback – that was her Arts/Law degree. Despite the obscene 4am-9:30pm days she spent at uni whilst balancing her TV career, Wilson was determined to finish her degree. Her legal skills have proved invaluable in her dealings with film industry being the first Australian Actor to maintain the intellectual property rights to her characters on an SBS show, conducting the DVD distribution of her first TV show, dealing with her own contracts and winning arbitration matters on movie classifications.[3] Without her law degree, Wilson’s acting career could have looked vastly different.
3. Mario Ancic – tennis player
Once world no.7 forced into retirement due to the implications of his battle with mononucleosis, now finance lawyer.[4] Ancic was heading towards his career peak before injury ended his tennis career and began his legal career, initially at the University of Split, Croatia, and later at Columbia University. Merging his two paths, Ancic wrote his thesis on the organisation of the ATP Tour and researched doping in professional tennis at Harvard.[5] Ancic now works in private equity law in New York City, entirely reinventing himself in the law beyond his sporting background.
4. Nelson Mandela – activist and politician
South Africa’s first democratically elected President studied initially at the University of South Africa Law School and is remembered as one of the most influential activists in history. Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his anti-apartheid work after spending 27 years in prison for his advocacy against, and resistance to the National Party of South Africa and their enforcement of racial segregation.[6] By using his law degree to combine human rights and politics, Mandela was a force for meaningful change.
5. Annabell Crabb – journalist and author
Political Journalist, Annabel Crabb, is one of Australia’s most recognisable TV and news personalities who has covered Australian politics for over 25 years. Training to be a journalist after studying law but never practicing, Crabb employed her legal knowledge of the government and our democratic systems to commentate on numerous elections, the inner workings of parliament, party relations and gender in the public sphere among other things.[7] She remains a key political personality in Australian media.
Sources
[1] “Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.” All Voices of Partition people, British Library. Accessed 16 Oct 2023.
[2] DiSalvo, Charles R.. “M. K. Gandhi, Attorney at Law: The Man Before the Mahatma”. University of California Press, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, <https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uql/detail.action?docID=1375716>.
[3] “Exam rituals, sleeping in the library, and countless parking tickets: Rebel Wilson reflects on her time at UNSW.” UNSW Alumni & Giving – News, < https://www.alumni.giving.unsw.edu.au/news-events/news/exam-rituals-sleeping-library-and-countless-parking-tickets-rebel-wilson-reflects>.
[4] Sinha, Smriti. “From the tennis court to the court of law: Mario Ancic's new career.” Sports Illustrated, 15 Aug 2014, <https://www.si.com/tennis/2014/08/15/mario-ancic-columbia-law-student>.
[5] Lattman, Peter. “Former Tennis Star Makes a Mark at Columbia Law School.” The New York Times, 7 Sep 2012, <https://archive.nytimes.com/dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/09/07/former-tennis-star-makes-a-mark-at-columbia-law-school/>.
[6] “Nelson Mandela – Biographical”. NobelPrize.org, Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2023. 15 Oct 2023, <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1993/mandela/biographical/>.
[7] “Annabel Crabb starts with 'The Advertiser' in Adelaide to cook up stylish commentary on Australian politics.” Adelaide AZ, <https://adelaideaz.com/articles/annabel-crabb-goes-from--the-advertiser--in-adelaide-to-cook-up-commentary-of-australian-politics-with-style>.
