AALA joins the Law Council of Australia President Pauline Wright, in congratulating Daye Gang, barrister and member of the Victorian Bar for winning the prestigious “2020 Annual IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year” award, Law Council President, Pauline Wright, response to Korean-Australian named as IBA Annual Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year.

Ms Wright states "Ms Gang, who is the first Australian to win the award, has been recognised for her substantial pro bono contributions and her outstanding work on North Korea, which includes advising the United Nations, the European Union, and the US Senate. Daye is an advocate for human rights in North Korea with the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, one of the oldest North Korean human rights organisations in the world. Part of her advocacy work has included being a key participant at briefings of members of United Nations agencies and representatives of the United States Congress. She is also contributing to the pool of English-language resources for the future of the Korean peninsula, namely by translating North Korean laws into English. Having conducted world-first research on North Korea’s government, society and economy for public accountability reporting and human rights reporting submissions to the United Nations, Daye is continuing the work of investigating international crimes started by the Commission of Inquiry on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, all within only a few years of graduating from her LLB, during which, she studied for and passed the Victorian Bar Entrance Exam. An outstanding young woman, Daye is currently undertaking a PhD with the Michael Kirby Centre for Public Health and Human Rights at Monash University on the topic of restorative justice for sexual and family violence. I am very proud to see that the skills and talent of this Korean Australian female lawyer have been recognised by such an illustrious international forum. The award, created in partnership with the IBA and LexisNexis, is presented annually to a young lawyer who has shown not only excellence in their work and achievements in their career to date, but also a commitment to professional and ethical standards as well as a commitment to the larger community. I believe that we can expect to see a lot more of Daye Gang in the years ahead.

You can hear Daye Gang’s acceptance speech here".

To read official IBA notice

To read Vicbar and Svenson Barristers congratulations