Katrina Dawson Award May 2025

30/04/2025

Diversity

The Bar Association is delighted to announce that Haiqiu Zhu is the recipient of the Katrina Dawson Award for May 2025.

Haiqiu was admitted as a solicitor in April 2021, having studied a combined Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Sydney, graduating in 2020 with the University Medal in Law. Subsequently, in 2022 and 2023 she read for the Bachelor of Civil Law at the University of Oxford.

During her time as a law student, she balanced studies with a diverse set of extracurriculars, successfully representing the University of Sydney at various intervarsity, national and international mooting competitions, and was a member of Oxford University’s Varsity-winning Competition Dance team.

Since graduating in 2020, Haiqiu has worked as a solicitor at Herbert Smith Freehills in the litigation team, representing clients on a range of complex commercial and public law matters. She also served as Tipstaff/Associate to the Hon Justice Payne of the NSW Court of Appeal from 2021 to 2022.

Given her long-held passion for advocacy, Haiqiu looks forward to joining the Bar where she hopes to use her skills and experience to serve the community. She also hopes to be able to use her position to support other women to realise their aspirations in their legal careers, and to foster their interest and enthusiasm in advocacy.

Haiqiu passed the Bar Exam in June 2024 and intends to sit the May 2025 Bar Practice Course.