By The Hon Helen Bowskill, Chief Justice
The follow is the transcript of a speech delivered by The Hon Helen Bowskill, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland, at the Commitment Ceremony for new law students held at Bond University on Monday 18 May 2026.
As a mark of respect, and in recognition of our shared history, I acknowledge the Kombumerri people as the first owners and custodians of the land on which the University now stands and pay my respects to their ancestors and elders.
It is a pleasure to be able to join you for this Commitment Ceremony, and I thank the Dean of the Law School, Professor Nick James, for the invitation.
This is an occasion for you to stop and really think about why you have chosen to study law. Is it because you have a deep and abiding passion for justice? For community service? For helping people? For history? For people and relationships? For problem solving? For independence and autonomy? For money? Because you can’t do maths? Maybe it is a combination of all of these things… I hope it is at least most of them, up until the last two.
I was sitting where you are, metaphorically speaking, at the beginning of 1991 – 35 years ago. From this distance, I have come up with 10 lessons that I want to impart to you.
When I was sitting where you are, I was 21 years old.
Before that, I had started, and dropped out of, three other university courses – including failing a few subjects. That was in part because I was struggling with mental health issues.
I had given up on the idea of university studies, and instead went to secretarial school, and learned how to type and take shorthand – to be a secretary.
I got a job as a secretary – working for barristers – who are the type of lawyers who stand up in court and argue a case for their client.
I started to feel better. Work gave me a sense of achievement and satisfaction. And after a time, I decided I wanted to be a lawyer, not just work for them.
Because I had dropped out and failed in my earlier attempts, my school leaving score – like an ATAR, or OP – was gone. I couldn’t rely on that to get me into University. My first exercise in the art of persuasion was asking the University to give me special consideration, so that I could enrol in law. I am very lucky that they did. I was so incredibly grateful – I valued that opportunity more than you can imagine. I did not take it for granted.
So, lesson number one is – gratitude.
You are lucky to be sitting here – however that has come to be. Don’t lose sight of that. Gratitude is the foundation of good character. In the words of Cicero, a Roman statesman and lawyer, “gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others”, including humility, empathy and integrity, which are essential virtues for lawyers.
Gratitude is also the partner of acceptance, which is lesson number two. You are embarking on a course of study that will at times be hard and stressful. You are working towards a professional life as a lawyer that will be the same. That is the reality. Psychologically, accepting that, actually helps you to manage it. It reduces the mental exhaustion caused by resistance. I know this works because I practise it in my working life. I accept that my job is hard, and sometimes very stressful and tiring. I don’t resent it for that. If I did, I probably couldn’t do it. Rather, I accept it and this helps me to do what I need to do. Although don’t be too hard on yourself . You might just have to accept that acceptance can be a process.
Being organised also helps. Can I pause my “big picture” lessons, to give you a “small picture” one – start developing good work habits early on. The best advice I can give you today is – go to your lectures, go to your tutorials, make notes, go over your notes, read the things you are asked to read, try to understand as you go along. Do some work week to week. Don’t leave things to the last minute. It takes time to understand law, to start thinking like a lawyer, to understand the policy behind the law. But once you get that understanding, the puzzles make a lot more sense, and you will actually enjoy it more. You can’t get that understanding by cramming; and it’s just more stressful and no fun. I know that’s the most boring, “eyeroll inducing” advice in the world. Take it from me, though, it’s the best advice, for studying and for working as a lawyer, or a judge. In order to tackle any big task, the best approach is to take one small step at a time. The small steps will all add up.
Returning to the big picture – if your studies, and the work of a lawyer or a judge, was just hard and stressful, we would probably all collapse. What holds us up and keeps us going is how important our role is, how meaningful it is, how much lawyers matter.
So that is lesson number three – meaning. Lawyers matter because they are the guardians, with the judges, of the rule of law. It might not be as exciting as being the “guardians of the galaxy” but remember you are in training to join the profession as “guardians of the rule of law”. I invite you to keep that powerful image in your mind as you embark on your studies, and when things get hard.
What do I mean by the rule of law? Well as you will come to learn, the rule of law is one of the most important defining features of our democratic society. The essence of the rule of law is about protecting against the arbitrary exercise of power. It is made up of a number of different principles, including:
- That no one, including government, is above the law and the law should apply equally to all persons, regardless of who they are, how much money they have, or where the come from.
- That there must be an independent, impartial judiciary – that is people like me, judges – who are free from political pressure. And, relatedly, that there must be a separation of powers between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.
- The content of the law should be accessible, and reasonably clear and consistent.
- Laws must be administered fairly, rationally, predictably, consistently and impartially.
- Everyone must have a right to a fair trial, including the presumption of innocence, and have the benefit of procedural fairness.
A core function of lawyers in our legal system is to preserve and protect the values implicit in the rule of law. In a recent decision of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Perkins Coie LLP v US Department of Justice (2 May 2025), Judge Beryl Howell held that one of the current United States President’s Executive Orders, which purported to stigmatise and penalise a particular law firm and its employees, due to the firm’s representation of clients pursuing claims and taking positions with which the current President disagreed, was null and void. The judge drew a parallel between the President’s actions, and those of the Shakespearean character in Henry VI, who said “first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers”, observing that “eliminating lawyers as the guardians of the rule of law removes a major impediment to the path to more power”.
The role of lawyers matters not because of some superficial status. It matters because lawyers stand between the citizen and the state, as a means of protection from the arbitrary exercise of power.
Knowing that your work is important, meaningful and matters is a very important antidote to the stress that it involves.
The next lesson, number four, is that being a lawyer is not just a job, it is a profession; one of central importance to upholding our democratic society. This means that to truly be a lawyer, you must commit yourself to serving the community and the administration of justice. To quote another American judge, the late Ruth Bader Ginsberg, if you want to be a true professional, you will do something outside yourself – something to repair tears in your community, something to make life a little better for people less fortunate than you.
That is what you should be aiming for. And it’s not inconsistent with obtaining a qualification that will enable to you have a career that is financially rewarding. Of course that is why you are here. That is why I started studying law. I wanted to do something to enable me to get a good job, earn a good income, be financially independent, live a good and comfortable life. Those are all commendable goals. All I am asking you to do, is keep this higher calling in mind, as you start your law degree. Because that is what will be required of you, if you truly want to be a member of the legal profession.
Here is the next thing – and it’s a really big thing – integrity. Lesson number five is that if you want to be a lawyer you must internalise integrity as a core value.
Integrity is not just honesty. It contemplates something more, a moral virtue which is internal, part of your character. In preparing to speak to you today, I found this great quote about integrity, which makes this point beautifully. It is from the late Dr Spencer Johnson, an American doctor and author who wrote a famous book about adapting to change called “Who Moved My Cheese?”. He said “Integrity is telling myself the truth. Honesty is telling the truth to other people”.
Another way of putting this is that integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is looking.
Lawyers must internalise integrity, as part of their commitment to true and honest ethical practice. It is central to the duties lawyers owe to their clients and the paramount duty they owe to the courts and to the administration of justice. It is not negotiable. It does not matter how smart, articulate or persuasive you are, as the saying goes, if you have integrity, nothing else matters, and if you do not have integrity, nothing else matters.
Let me make this real for you. I assume the end goal of starting this degree is that you want to be admitted as a lawyer. If that is the case, then once you’ve finished your degree, and completed the necessary post-graduate practical legal training (or PLT), you will make an application to the Supreme Court for an order that you be admitted to the legal profession as a lawyer. Keep that in mind – you have to make an application to the Court to be admitted. It does not just happen automatically because you’ve got a degree and done PLT. And getting admitted is not just a “ceremony” as some people seem to think. It is an application to the Supreme Court, which will be decided by a judge or judges. In making that application, you will be required to disclose to the Court what are called “suitability matters” – they are matters that might affect your suitability to be a lawyer. That question is determined at the time of your application – are you a fit and proper person to be admitted as a lawyer? A person who is dishonest, who lacks integrity, is not a fit and proper person to be a lawyer.
Now let me be clear, this is not a completely unforgiving process. If you have made a mistake in the past, even a very serious one, that will not necessarily pose an obstacle to your admission as a lawyer – provided that you can demonstrate, at the time of your application, that you have insight, and now embody this important value of integrity.
But you are now all on notice – if you behave dishonestly in the course of your law degree – if you cheat on an exam or assignment for example – you will need to disclose that, and the Court will take that very seriously. It is even more serious where people do that during their PLT. It is taken seriously because it reveals a concerning flaw – if your response to stress is to cut corners, act unethically or dishonestly. Lawyers cannot do that. They occupy a significant position of trust in relation to their clients and the courts and, overall, in relation to the administration of justice.
My message is clear. Just don’t do it. It is not worth it. The story that I see in admission applications is of a student who is feeling stressed out. They have a deadline coming up for an assignment. They have work commitments, or family commitments. They may have been unwell or have caring responsibilities for someone who is unwell. In that highly stressed, and even distressed state, they look for a shortcut. They download something from online, copy someone else’s work, use AI without checking it, and submit it dishonestly as their work. The stress that person then experiences, when they get the letter from the University telling them that they are suspected of academic misconduct far outweighs the stress they were feeling before the due date, let alone down the track when they are applying for admission. It is just not worth it.
Here's a better solution. Speak to your lecturer or tutor, or a student counsellor. Tell them that you are struggling. Go and see a GP and get a letter from them if you are unwell. Get professional help from a psychologist or psychiatrist if required. There will be a solution which does not involve you cheating. Universities and their staff are not here to make your life miserable. They are here to support you through your studies. There will be help available. And it is so much better to speak up, and seek help, and act honestly, than to suffer in silence, and do something dishonest.
That is a good segue into lesson number six which is learn how to use generative AI responsibly and ethically. You will note that I am not saying don’t use it. I know you will, and I know that you will be expected to when you go to work in a law firm or if you practise as a barrister.
Used responsibly, generative AI can be a useful tool. I endorse the following observations made by Chief Justice Kourakis, from South Australia, on the occasion of his recent retirement. He said that “with proper care, artificial intelligence has greater potential to significantly enhance and broaden access to justice by reducing costs and improving timeliness than any changes in procedure or technology we have previously encountered or are likely to see in our lifetimes”. But, he said, there are two necessary conditions which will have to be met if AI is to deliver on its promise. The first is the rigorous training of law students in critical reasoning and the maintenance of a steady focus on that skill in continuing professional and judicial development. The second, is a career-long engagement, starting at law school, of legal professionals in ethics, meaning the habituation of ethical practice; the internalisation of that practice as a virtue, as I have already emphasised.
Training you in the skill of critical reasoning in this technological age is the challenge for your lecturers and tutors – but it is important for you to keep that in mind as you start your law degree. The skill of critical reasoning, and our inherently human capacity for compassion, kindness, and nuanced understanding, is what sets us apart from machines. You need that skill to be a good, let alone an outstanding, lawyer. You can’t get it from blindly using AI.
What does that look like in the context of AI? Well – at its most basic – it means you must check every single word that is produced if you use AI. Go to the sources cited, and make sure they exist; if they do exist, read them, to make sure they say what the AI tool has cited them for. Understand them – remember, you are here to learn to think like a lawyer. Make sure that every word, every sentence produced reflects what it is that you want to say – your words – your voice – your way of speaking – your point. Not the voice or words of a machine, trained on unknowable, possibly biased sources scraped from across the globe.
Words – written and spoken – are your tools of trade as a lawyer. Learning how to deploy those tools effectively – whether as a transactional lawyer, or as an advocate – takes time and practice. If you want to be a good lawyer, you need to do that work yourself. You cannot delegate that to a machine.
And nor would you want to, because how boring would that be?
Which brings me to lesson number seven – try to find a way to enjoy this time in your lives. I know that may be easier said than done. But it can be done. Students today are under a lot of pressure, including because of the need to earn an income while studying, and because of the apparent pressure to demonstrate a million extra-curricular activities on your CV. As to that, as with most things, quality is better than quantity. Try to take advantage of the fun, social things that University life has to offer. Fun, and laughter, has a lot to be said for it.
If you are thinking about “extra-curricular” things, I recommend things that get you involved in the profession that you want to be a part of – perhaps volunteering at a community legal centre?
Just don’t take on so much that it causes you more stress. You are embarking on a difficult course of study. That needs to be your priority. If the extra-curricular stuff is too much, drop it. This path you have set out on is a long and winding road. Focus on putting one foot in front of the other and doing what is immediately in front of you to the best of your ability, and the rest will take care of itself.
Lesson number eight is to look after yourself. Do some exercise every day, whatever it is; eat well – your body and your brain need it; don’t turn to alcohol, let alone drugs, to solve social or stress problems. The exercise thing is so important to your mental wellbeing. It makes you feel better, sleep better, it reduces tension, gives you energy, improves your ability to focus and pay attention.3 It’s also an opportunity for your “subconscious mind” to work. Your subconscious mind is working away in the background, processing thoughts and information, among other things. When you are struggling with an assignment or a tricky problem, sometimes it helps to walk away, let your subconscious mind do some processing, and when you come back, you may have greater clarity.
If you find yourself struggling emotionally, please seek out support, as I have already said. And don’t delay getting professional help if that is what is required.
Lesson number nine is to be yourself – and don’t compare yourself to others. I am not exactly sure who said this, but it is very true: comparison is the thief of joy. And in my words, authenticity is a super-power. If you throw off the shackles of pretending to be something you are not or trying to live up to some kind of stereotype, you will find it is liberating. The legal profession is an ever-expanding rich tapestry, made up of people from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences, and all the better for it.
And the last lesson, number ten, is abandon perfectionism. To quote from an excellent book called ‘Daring Greatly’ by Brené Brown, perfectionism is not the same as striving for excellence and is not about healthy achievement and growth. Perfectionism is a “twenty-ton shield that we lug around, thinking it will protect us, when in fact it is the thing that’s really preventing us from being seen”, and achieving to the best of our ability. Perfectionism can be paralysing. It is something that many law students and lawyers suffer with and is at the root of many of the mental health struggles of law students and lawyers. So, it is a good idea to address it now. I am what I like to call a pragmatic perfectionist. I have very high standards, I strive for excellence, but not perfection. I like to say, “perfect is good, done is better”, and I encourage you to do the same.
So, those are my 10 lessons, learned from long experience in the study and the practice of law: gratitude, acceptance, meaning, commitment, integrity, ethical use of AI, enjoyment, self-care, authenticity and imperfection.
I wish you all the best for your studies, and the years ahead.