Lauren Hollands
26 September 2014: University of Canberra recent graduate Dr Jessica Kennedy has been named 2014 ACT Young Lawyer of the Year.
The award, bestowed by the ACT Law Society, was presented by the Hon Justice John Burns of the ACT Supreme Court, in recognition of her professional achievements and community involvement in the Canberra region.
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Dr Jessica Kennedy, who graduated in April, was recently named 2014 ACT Young Lawyer of the Year. Photo: Michelle McAulay. |
Dr Kennedy graduated from the University of Canberra in April with her thesis focusing on legislation aimed at addressing the trauma that sexual assault victims go through during the trial process.
Dr Kennedy, who currently works as a family law solicitor at Farrar Gesini Dunn, studied a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Canberra, where she worked as a lecturer and tutor in Women and the Law and Family Law.
Her PhD research examined the ACT Sexual and Violent Offences Legislation Amendment Act 2008 and investigated society's lack understanding about sexual assault and the treatment of victims in sexual assault trials.
Dr Kennedy was able to determine that some of the recommendations made by the Sexual Assault Reform Program were accepted but "watered down" when it came to implementing the law.
"The reforms provided several opportunities for victims' safe speaking to be improved, however, the opportunity for prosecutorial and judicial discretion has meant that the reforms aren't achieving their potential," she said.
"It appears as though pre-conceived beliefs about sexual assault and "real" rape victims are being treated differently to others, and not all victims are reaping the benefits of the reform."
Supervised by University of Canberra Professor Patricia Easteal, Dr Kennedy looked at the relevant historical legislation, the political figures behind the new legislation, and conducted interviews with sexual assault victims.
"The ACT said it was going to do all these great things for the victims. I wanted to see how this new legislation worked; no one had actually looked at how it would be applied in the ACT," Dr Kennedy said.
"My research indicated that most of the recommendations were included in the reforms, but that the legislation was drafted in such a way that the provisions are indeterminate, providing room for prosecutorial and judicial discretion, and hence pre-conceived ideas about sexual assault victims", she said.
