Our team

2022 - Present

Nailah Zaman, Team Lead (2022 - Present)

Hi! I’m a second year Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Commerce student and am majoring in Management Studies. I am studying as a domestic student (New Zealand citizen).

I graduated in 2021 from Suzanne Cory High School and received a direct offer for the course I’m currently studying along with the Achieving Potential Scholarship for Distinction.

A tip I have for future law students is to not be put off by the ATAR requirements for law courses as universities have a range of scores they accept and so you don’t have to be the top of the top to get an offer (first round or not) and there are always alternative pathways into law. Talking to both my careers counsellor and my teacher, who is a Monash law alum, helped me understand whether an LLB or JD degree was right for me and the pathways available in case I did not get a direct offer into my course. Definitely talk to those around you as they’ll have valuable information :)

And finally… a fun fact about me is that I’m from New Zealand (NZ) and my initials are NZ.

Vicky Wang (2022)

I am a third year law/commerce student, majoring in Finance. I was previously pursuing a commerce/arts degree, majoring in History, but transferred at the end of my first year. I am interested in both the commercial and non-commercial aspects of law, with a particular interest in family law. Outside the hustle and bustle of University, I am interested in watching movies and reading, with a particular passion for history. I have a Japanese Spitz named Klee who I rely on for emotional support.

I am excited to participate in the law ambassador program and bring this project to light and hope to use this project to connect to would be law students from all backgrounds. My tip for future law students would be to try to get involved in everything at university. There are many resources such as clubs, programs and internship opportunities etc that will help you throughout your degree and beyond.

Andrew Tiganis (2022)

Hi, my name is Andrew and I am currently a second-year Law and Arts (Philosophy) student at Monash University. I originally studied Arts at the University of Melbourne for two years before transferring to Monash. Something that I wish someone told me when I was in high school is that your ATAR is not the be-all, end-all. There are so many different pathways into the course that you want! Some things that I like to do outside of studying include gym, walking and reading!

Lucas Sall (2022)

Lucas is a final year undergraduate Arts (Politics/Philosophy) and Law (Honours) student. Lucas realised that he had a passion for the law when he undertook his secondary school unit ‘Legal Studies’ to which Lucas realised he could incorporate his love for Philosophy through an Arts degree and also his love for the legal profession through the law degree. Lucas moved from Tasmania to begin his legal education, which was not easy, but it was well worth the time and effort of moving to Victoria to complete a law degree. In his free time, Lucas can be found exploring new cities, jogging by Albert Park Lake, or working as an Information Management assistant for Monash University (Caulfield). Finally, Lucas is also currently in the midst of completing a post-graduate diploma in Legal Practice, which will allow him to successfully apply for admission and become an Australian solicitor.

Caitlin Morris (2022)

I’m a third year Bachelor of Laws (Honours) student. I graduated in 2019 from Mentone Girls’ Secondary and was directly offered the course I’m currently in alongside the Sir John Monash scholarship of excellence. Although I originally planned on studying medicine, I changed my mind last minute and so happy I did. I love the law particularly because of the level of intricacy it has which makes it interesting. Some fun facts about me are that I can do a backflip on command, I used to live at the snow and currently I’m a yoga teacher!

Sinead Kelly (2022)

I am currently a third-year student at Monash University, studying a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Engineering, specialising in civil engineering.  

I am a domestic student and attended a secondary school quite close to the Monash University Clayton campus. 

 I originally started a Bachelor of Arts and Engineering at Monash, however, after my first year, I transferred into Law and Engineering. To do this, I used the course transfer portal which assessed my extracurriculars and my WAM. Therefore, throughout my first year, I ensured I studied hard and tried to be as involved as possible. 

My tip for studying law would be to remain as organised and as on top of things as possible. I try to achieve this by ensuring I have always completed all the pre-readings and content for all the classes I attend. Additionally, as soon as assignments are released, I like to plan when I can work on them and set deadlines for when I would like certain parts completed. This is also really helpful for when I have multiple assessments all due at once, as it means I am not as overwhelmed or stressed and that I can complete things to a standard I am happy with. Additionally, remaining organised and working on my time management has meant that I have been able to implement a better university, work, and social life balance and has allowed me to be involved in extra-curricular and volunteer programs. 

After university, I would really like to work in either a commercial law field or in construction law.

Sunny Jung (2022 - Present)

Hi there! My name is Sunny and I am currently in my third year of my Bachelors of Law and Bachelors of Science double degree. I was fortunate enough to transfer into LLB from Bachelors of Science at the University of Melbourne.

It is one of my great passions to become a voice for women and POC in the legal industry and to bring into light the many issues that minority groups face.

A tip I would share to a future law student would be to of course, stay organised and get started on assessments as soon as possible! It is so easy to forget about assignments until they are due, however, I have found that breaking up assignments into smaller tasks and working on them over an a few weeks makes life much easier than cramming the night before.

After uni, I hope to incorporate my love for science and law, by hopefully working within the field of medical law, or potentially intellectual property law.

Bec Batrouney

I’m a fourth year undergraduate Law student, and have also recently completed my Arts degree (majoring in Media and Communications) in 2022. I attended a public school in the eastern suburbs and spent a year studying Arts at the University of Melbourne, before I transferred to Arts/Law at Monash. A fun fact about me is that I love to sing and am a member of the Monash University choir!

My tip to prospective law students is to remember that there are many ways into studying law. Like me, you can spend a semester or a year studying something else before transitioning to law.

Abhishek Dunessur

My name is Abhishek Dunessur, and I am currently a third-year law student pursuing a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Bachelor of Criminology. As an international student from Mauritius, my university journey began during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.


Some fun facts about myself are that I am fluent in four different languages, and I am an avid fan of Formula 1. As a piece of advice for future law students, I cannot stress enough how important time management is. It is the key to improving your grades and succeeding in law school. My experience of being in law school for over two years has taught me many new things, both in and outside of the university. 


I have always been passionate and intrigued by the law and crimes since my childhood. Studying law has allowed me to gain unique perspectives on various arguments, which I find incredibly exciting and rewarding.

Felicity Irwin

I am currently in my third year studying a Bachelor of Law and Arts. I have known since high school that I wanted to study law but unfortunately didn’t get in straight out of school. When I graduated in 2018 I enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Criminology and International Relations) but had my sights set on transferring into Law. I attempted to transfer at the end of my first year but I was unsuccessful so in my second year I really focused on my grades and changed to a minor in French as this was a strength of mine. I was eventually successful in transferring at the start of 2021. 

At the moment, I work as a paralegal and, apart from the Bridge Law Project, I am also working on the Just Leadership Project in which I am completing a yearlong project and presentation on Indigenous’ peoples’ access to justice issues. 

One tip I would give to future law students is, don’t be afraid of not getting straight into law. As much as I always knew that’s what I wanted to do, I’m so grateful for the experience that my first two years of Arts gave me because I really don’t think I was prepared to study law straight out of school. It is also relatively easy to catch up to the cohort you would have been in if you had gone straight into law. 

Meghana Jonnalagadda

Hi there! I am a first-year Laws (LLB) and third-year Commerce (B.Com) student at Monash University, majoring in Economics. I transferred into law this year after studying Commerce at the University of Melbourne for two years. I chose to study Law alongside Commerce instead of pursuing the postgraduate Juris Doctor qualification as this pathway provided me with guaranteed entry and a Commonwealth Supported Place into law. Transferring into law after a year or two of another degree is very common and achievable, so don’t stress if you don’t quite meet the ATAR/IB score requirements at the end of Year 12! 

Prior to university, I attended the Mac.Robertson Girls High School and really enjoyed studying Literature, English Language and Economics for VCE. The reading, writing and analytical skills I gained from these subjects are immensely helpful with learning my foundational law subjects now. Looking ahead, I hope to harness my double degree in Law and Commerce (Economics) to build a career in commercial law. 

Outside of university, I’m a trained Indian classical dancer and love performing with my troupe every few months. I’ve also got two lovely dogs to take on walkies during study breaks. At BridgeLaw, I hope to shed light on alternative pathways into law and support you on your law school journey!

Alex Murray-Xenidis

I am a third year Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Commerce student majoring in Finance. I'm still quite unsure exactly what law I am eager to pursue, but likely an area surrounding commercial law in order to complement my commerce degree. Besides studying, I am usually watching movies, reading and feeding my cat who is endlessly hungry.

A piece of advice I would share to new law students is to hone down on time management skills early. I make a daily checklist of tasks in order to track progression and determine exactly what needs to be done and when. I also find it ideal to complete smaller tasks over time to break down the workload. As with everything, balance is crucial and studying is no different, so don't neglect your hobbies and interests outside of school either!

Jiahao Rao

I am Jiahao, a first-year undergraduate student majoring in law. I am fond of dancing and singing. The reason why I choose law is that I think it is interesting, especially when reading a case. I think the way to learn Law well is not only just listening to the teacher in class carefully but also to attend more activities about law. 

Sotir Stojanovic

Hi! I am a second year Bachelor of Law student and graduated from Warrandyte High School in 2021. I have a keen interest in the non-commercial, social justice side of law, particularly around workers' rights, but pretty much anything in that sphere is what I'm here for. I first became interested in this field from the activism side of things, and while legal changes need to come from the ground up, I hope I can help empower people to advocate for themselves and be treated fairly.

For anyone interested in law, my advice is not to trust everything you see on the online forums! I remember in year 12 reading through and being warned of the monstrous readings from law, but they are not as bad as I anticipated from these. If you are interested in the field and want to know more, feel free to reach out to anyone on our team and we will be happy to tell you more about what it is like as a law student :)

Xabier Walters

Hola! I’m a first year Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics student at Monash University. I graduated in 2022 from Huntingtower School, Mount Waverley after a big move by myself up from Geelong. This gave me the advantage of becoming a ‘local’ before starting uni, but I’ll always remember the stress of moving to an entirely new place.

 I did a direct entry pathway into my degree using ATAR but I have been witness to a diverse range of entry pathways. My shift to the ‘big smoke’ helped me in many ways during my efforts to get into law. I realise this was a privilege not open to many others. Through my participation in this program I endeavour to enhance equity for those students who wish to study law at university. Using my experience and passion I vow to help prospective law students get where they want to go.

I enjoy theatre, running, cycling, field hockey, roller hockey, underwater hockey or any other type of hockey probably if you let me have a go 😄. Using my degree I hope to advocate for the things I am deeply passionate about. At the moment this means I want to become a legislator or policy advisor who can help implement the big picture thinking that has been absent in our country and around the world for a long time.

My one piece of advice for future law students aligns with that one quote: “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” When starting out somewhere it can often be hard to know exactly what to dedicate yourself to and that’s okay. I am a firm believer that putting yourself out there and saying yes to all the opportunities that are open to you (as long as you’re comfortable and not overwhelmed) will help you no matter what you end up doing in the end.

And lastly, always remember to have fun!

Rina Yamamoto

Hi, my name is Rina, and I'm a third year law student. I graduated from Korowa Anglican Girls School in 2020, and got into law directly. I really love studying law, but I do think it's challenging! My advice would be to rely on your support system if you're going through a hard time, and be sure to take days off for yourself so you don't burn out.

I joined BridgeLaw because I care a lot about diversity and inclusion within law, especially regarding BIPOC issues. I think it's wonderful and empowering to have a community and role models which help you reflect on the challenges of  navigating law and the legal sector as a BIPOC, and I truly think there is so much to celebrate about deepening your sense of cultural identity, and letting that guide you through your journey as a law student