Written By
Rachelle McCabe
College
College of Business, Law and Governance
Publish Date
16 July 2024
Related Study Areas
A wealth of experience in unique court role
JCU Law graduate Madison Thieme is fast proving youth is no barrier when it comes to climbing the legal career ladder. Madison, who graduated in 2023, has landed a distinguished Cairns-based legal role as an associate to a Supreme Court Judge.
It’s a privileged position but Madison backed herself when she saw the job advertised through her JCU communication channels.
“I saw the job advertisement and thought it sounded interesting and challenging so I applied and ended up being offered the position,” she says.
“It is such a unique position to be in, I’m only a year out of university yet I am working alongside a judge who is at the pinnacle of the profession. It’s a great job and I’m loving my work this year.”
As an associate to a Supreme Court Judge, Madison is privy to confidential and sensitive court processes. The Judge’s Associate role involves a close working relationship with the Judge, as she is their confidential aide, in and out of court, in connection with all the Judge’s concerns.
Rare behind-the-scenes court exposure
It’s a demanding job that requires the Associate to have the personality and skill to navigate the demands and restrictions unique to judicial life. Madison says the learning curve has been steep, with her understanding and appreciation for the preparation and work involved in bringing matters to court expanding exponentially.
She says working for a successful and experienced Judge was intimidating at first.
“I was worried about my knowledge and lack of experience when I started in the role, but I’ve certainly found my feet. Supreme Court Judges are just people like the rest of us and I wasn’t expected to come into the role with a wealth of knowledge which I found really comforting,” she says.
As for a typical day for an Associate to a Judge, Madison says there isn’t one.
“I’m the person who arraigns the defendant, I empanel the jury and I assist the judge. Every day is different, this morning I was supposed to empanel a jury for a trial but that resolved on Friday,” she says.
“If it’s a busy court day, my day starts by preparing the files and providing them to the Judge, answering the emails in my inbox and juggling the calendar. It’s my job to make sure we’re ready to go and to make their life easier.”
For Madison, the highlights of the job have been aplenty and mainly centre around the knowledge and experience she has gained in a short period of time.
“The behind-the-scenes exposure to the court process that I am experiencing has been amazing, I’m getting a real appreciation for the law and the processes involved,” she says.
“I have a broader understanding as to what it takes to prepare a case and then deliver it, but also how to decide one. Not a lot of people have the opportunity to see the factors that are considered prior to a decision being made. A real highlight of the job is just having the exposure to the Judge and being able to pick his brain firsthand. It is a real privilege.”
Watching experienced Cairns Barristers in action in the courtroom was another highlight, Madison notes.
“I enjoy watching the barristers present their case and then observing the arguments from both sides. It’s fascinating because you can see all their work and preparation play out in the courtroom,” she says.
The future is regional law for Madison
Madison will move on from the Supreme Court Associate role at the end of 2024 as all associate jobs with Queensland courts are usually one-year appointments. But she’ll no doubt depart with an impressive resume and a wealth of legal options as her career moves on in 2025.
And she says she has no plans to leave her home city, Cairns, any time soon. Madison hopes to pursue work in criminal defence in the short term and aims to sit the Queensland Bar Exam and become a Barrister in the medium term.
“My whole family is here in Cairns and I love living here. Career-wise, I think working in a regional city is an advantage,” Madison says.
“Using Brisbane as an example, there are so many barristers and lawyers and so many law firms, so you are often pigeon-holed in one area of law. In Cairns you just don’t have the numbers, but there is still the varied legal work, so you get a really broad experience.”
As for becoming a judge herself? “It’s hard to say. Now that I know what the Judge does, the workload is insane. I’d love to but I’m only at the start of my career so who knows what the future holds,” she says.
“I think my passion really lies with becoming a barrister and a legal advocate. I am most interested in criminal law although as the year goes on and I am exposed to more civil cases, I am quite enjoying that as well.
“I enjoy watching the barristers advocate for their clients, the prosecution advocate for the State but also for the complainant in the matter. This year I have about a 50/50 split between crime and civil, civil being every other area of law, so it’s been very diverse.”
Uni the key to climbing the legal ladder
Workplace success has not happened by chance for Madison. She worked hard at university, focusing on her studies and also attending all the law events to network and make essential contacts in the industry.
“I really took advantage of the events to meet a lot of people in the industry. I enjoyed university, I made so many friends and so many connections. The classes weren’t too big so the lecturers knew everyone, you weren’t a little fish in a big pond at JCU,” Madison says.
Madison also juggled full-time legal work in her final year of university. She says full-time work and full-time study was tough and involved a lot of time management and support from JCU academic staff.
“Law really clicked for me when I got a job, law at university is very different to law in real life. However, I wouldn’t suggest working full time until you are close to graduating because you want to prioritize your studies, but it was important for me to see where my studies were going to lead,” Madison says.
“It is very rewarding to have graduated and to be really enjoying my work. I’m fresh out of university and I’m already in an excellent role so I’m looking forward to seeing what the rest of my career looks like.”
Do you think a legal career could be in your future? Find out more about JCU’s law degree here.