A Territory first; NT wins National Golden Gavel
Law Society Northern Territory (Society) is extremely proud to congratulate Micah Kickett on winning the National Golden Gavel in Sydney on 20 October 2017. Mr Kickett is the first contestant from the Northern Territory to win the prestigious national public speaking prize for young lawyers, described in some quarters as the 'Eurovision of the legal profession'.
Each year, young lawyers display their public speaking skills, creativity and comedic wit at state and territory Golden Gavel competitions. The 8 winners from each state and territory then come together to compete at the National Golden Gavel. The format is fun, frivolous and impromptu, with each contestant given 24 hours notice of their topic and then 5 minutes to deliver their presentation.
This year, the NT Golden Gavel was held on 8 September 2017 and was one of the largest fields of contestants in recent years, including 2 contestants from Alice Springs. Mr Kickett, a graduate law clerk from the Solicitor for the Northern Territory, was the standout performer and won the NT heat.
On 19 October 2017, Mr Kickett finished his final exams before receiving notice of his National Golden Gavel topic, “How to speak conversational legalese in one easy lesson” and heading to Sydney to compete in the nationals. In front of approximately 250 people on a boat in Sydney Harbour, Mr Kickett’s performance included a 2-minute rap and had the audience in a frenzy.
Society president Mr Tass Liveris said, “For a graduate clerk who is yet to be admitted to practice to win this prize out of a field of exceptional performances by talented young lawyers from around Australia is an extraordinary achievement. Having finished his final exams the day before the Gavel, Micah was under additional pressures, yet he went to Sydney and took on the nation’s best young lawyers and won.”
This year, Mr Kickett graduated from the University of Western Australia with degrees in Arts and Law. He is a recipient of a MADALAH (Making a Difference and Looking Ahead) scholarship, which supports Indigenous students from remote and regional communities attending boarding schools and universities. Mr Kickett was 1 of 6 Indigenous law graduates this year, being the highest number of Indigenous law graduates in UWA history.
Mr Liveris said, “Despite the progress being made through initiatives such as MADALAH and the Bilata Legal Pathways Program in the NT, the Indigenous population is substantially under-represented in the legal profession. It is also widely known that the Indigenous community remains grossly over-represented in the criminal justice system and the prison population. Micah continues to set an example for young Indigenous people who aspire to careers in the law and the Northern Territory is extremely proud of his achievement, in winning this prestigious competition.”
A video presentation of Mr Kickett’s performance at the 2017 National Golden Gavel can be viewed on the National Golden Gavel Facebook page. 'Click here' to view the facebook video
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Contact person:
Mr Tass Liveris
President
Telephone: 0419 011 122
'Click here' to view the media release