Where Adelaide’s top lawyers went to school, how they got their starts and advice for aspiring legal eagles
They’ve risen the ranks at their respective firms, but where did South Australia’s greatest legal minds go to high school?
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They’re South Australia’s greatest legal minds, many at the helm of prominent firms.
They have poured countless hours into their legal craft and risen through the ranks and made a difference in the process.
But where did these top legal eagles get their start?
Some went to Adelaide’s top private colleges but others didn’t even finish high school.
As the 2025 cohort of year 12s approach the pointy end of their secondary education, we asked our top legal minds to offer some advice.
Anthony Keane
Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner
School: Nuriootpa High School
Left: In year 11 in 1981
The state’s legal profession conduct commissioner Anthony Keane, who ensures misbehaving lawyers are held to account, did not finish high school.
He originally didn’t even plan to become a lawyer.
After leaving Nuriootpa High School in 1981 in year 11, he went to TAFE where he undertook training in electronics.
One of his first jobs was maintaining machines at a ten pin bowling business in the Barossa Valley.
After working as an apprentice and backpacking around the world in the 1980s, he began studying law at the University of Adelaide and graduated with honours in 1997.
“I had, in fact, gone to uni to study international relations and Spanish with a view to joining the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,” Mr Keane said.
“I was doing and really enjoying legal studies as a minor and my grades were pretty good so, when someone said that I should apply for law, I did.”
His first job as a solicitor was at Minter Ellison in 2000.
More than two decades later, in 2022, he was appointed as the legal profession conduct commissioner.
“Do not narrow your opportunities or become fixated on any one career path,” Mr Keane advised.
“I have probably had more jobs/careers than the average lawyer.
“What is important, besides being able to earn a decent wage, is to be flexible so that you can pursue employment that energises you.”
Brittany Duregon, 34
Mellor Olsson Lawyers
School: Seymour College
Graduated: 2008 with an ATAR of 95.15
While Brittany Duregon achieved a high ATAR after graduating Seymour College, it was just enough to scrape into a law and commerce double degree at the University of Adelaide.
Ms Duregon, a senior associate at Mellor Olsson Lawyers, had known from a young age that the law was her calling.
“I’ve always been passionate about fairness and helping others and naturally I gravitated towards rules, structure and advocating for what’s right,” she said.
“I found my voice standing up for others in situations that didn’t feel fair and that was a defining moment.”
The personal injury lawyer credited a “culture of support and high expectations” at Seymour as what built her confidence to apply for law.
Her advice for year 12s was to “seek out mentors early”.
“Whether it’s a teacher, a university lecturer, or someone in the profession, having people to guide and encourage you can make a huge difference,” Ms Duregon said.
Glen Pearce, 35
DBH Lawyers
School: Golden Grove High School
Graduated: 2007 with an ATAR of 63.5
It was always his ambition to study law, but Glen Pearce’s “modest” ATAR led him down an alternative path.
Now a partner at DBH Lawyers, he originally studied human resource management at UniSA before he could pursue his passion.
“I was fascinated with the prospect of becoming a lawyer as my father worked for the former Attorney-General, the late Trevor Griffin,” Mr Pearce said.
“He was very generous with his time and encouraged me to pursue my ambitions, as did my father.”
This experience taught him the value of mentors.
“Surround yourself with mentors and positive role models for the career or careers you wish to pursue,” he said.
“Do not let one bad experience put you off pursuing a particular career path.”
Morry Bailes, 59
Tindall Gask Bentley Lawyers
School: Graduated Vermont High School
It was Morry Bailes’ elder brother who encouraged the former president of the Law Society of SA to pursue a career in the law when he was in year 10.
After finishing his secondary education at the now-defunct Vermont High School, he was determined to go to university.
“Many of us were encouraged to seek jobs which didn’t require tertiary qualifications in those days, such as bank jobs,” said Mr Bailes, former managing partner of Tindall Gask Bentley (TGB).
“Going to uni was less common than today, but I worked as hard as I possibly could to get there.”
Mr Bailes, who still provides his services to TGB as a business adviser and lawyer, was set on the path of success as “it wasn’t the school that helped per se, it was a number of my teachers who were outstanding”.
“I wouldn’t be where I am if my brother hadn’t given me the advice he did, without the excellence of my teachers, and without a wise and supportive stepmother,” he said.
While law “can be a bit maligned as a degree now”, Mr Bailes wants to set the record straight.
“To be involved in the administration of justice as a lawyer is one of the highest callings and responsibilities,” he said.
“I would encourage secondary school students to think about law as a career because you are capable of changing peoples lives for the better.”
Vanessa Varga, 44
Varga Lawyers
School: Valley View Secondary School
Graduated: 1997 with a 96.4 ATAR
Vanessa Varga has come a long way since her first job at age 14 working at Steve’s Hotdogs in Ingle Farm.
Ms Varga attended Valley View Secondary school but wanted to go to a private school.
“My parents couldn’t afford it so I made the most of the resources I had available,” she said.
It was while working at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital as a patient services assistant that she knew she wanted to follow another path.
“I love science and wanted to study medicine but it showed me very quickly that I did not have the stomach for the smells and sights that come with working in medicine,” Ms Varga said.
In 2002 she attained a summer clerkship at a law firm and her career snowballed from there.
She was made partner at Treloar and Treloar before having two children.
In 2016, she started her own business, Varga Lawyers, focused on wills and estates.
“My high school journey taught me discipline, grit and persistence,” Ms Varga said.
She advised that “getting a job in the law is not just about the grades, so get some life experience”.
Amy Nikolovski, 43
DBH Lawyers
School: St Dominic’s Priory College
Graduated: 1999 with an ATAR of 92.7
Managing partner at DBH Lawyers Amy Nikolovski was “much better at maths and science at school” and didn’t always think she would be a lawyer.
“STEM wasn’t really a career path that was discussed in the 90s for girls, it was really nursing, medicine or accountancy which weren’t paths I was particularly interested in,” Ms Nikolovski said.
Her experiences in legal studies in year 12 at St Dominic’s Priory College led her to pursue the law as a career.
“I now sit on the board and can give back to the community where I spent my formative years,” Ms Nikolovski said.
Experience in hospitality is the key to forging a path in the legal profession, she advised.
“Law is a service based industry,” she said.
“You have those people skills to compliment your analytical and writing skills.”
Craig Caldicott, 70
Craig Caldicott Lawyers
Graduated: Brighton High School
Now with his own law firm, Craig Caldicott once repeated year 12 to get a better score.
“Whilst receiving a passing grade, I decided to return to school at Norwood Morialta High Adult High School and obtained better marks,” he said.
Watching the television show Perry Mason growing up had given him an appreciation for the law.
“I have found the profession of the law to be interesting and very rewarding,” said Mr Caldicott, who had always worked in his own firms since being admitted to the bar in 1979.
His suggestion for year 12 students is that during university studies to “undertake practical training at a law firm”.
Peter Jackson, 50
DBH Lawyers
School: Blackwood High School
Graduated: 1992
DBH Lawyers partner Peter Jackson was “more interested in military service” than the law and was even provisionally accepted as a Royal Australian Navy candidate for the Australian Defence Force Academy.
“I was fortunate to get the necessary marks to get into the dual degree program at University of Adelaide and went down that path instead,” Mr Jackson said.
“My high school journey helped me learn the value of hard work as nothing was handed to me on a platter in the public school system.”
His first job was at a Wendy’s ice cream store at the age of 16 and worked various retail roles while studying at university.
He said part time work, where you can meet people, is integral to practising law well.
“As a lawyer you will need to be able to relate to others from a wide range of backgrounds,” Mr Jackson said.
“It is therefore important that any aspiring lawyer put themselves out there to meet with as many people as they can.”
Jacinta Connell, 37
In-house lawyer at SAAFE Cooperative Research Centre
School:St Ignatius’ College
Graduated:2005
Jacinta Connell is not just a lawyer, but also an entrepreneur.
Not only is she a lawyer, but also owns a cafe on UniSA’s Mawson Lakes Campus, a catering business and co-hosts a radio show on weekends.
“I feel very fortunate for the role I am in now which has allowed me to successfully balance my entrepreneurial and commercial interests with my passion for law,” Ms Connell said.
After finishing high school she initially thought about pursuing journalist or politics but because of relatives in the legal profession she was “very aware of the value of an education in the law from a young age”.
“I always knew I wanted to be able to advocate for myself and others and to have the legal knowledge to make change in areas I felt passionate about,” Ms Connell said.
“My time at St Ignatius’ College provided an invaluable foundation for me to develop my skills in communicating and public speaking.”
Ms Connell is a strong believer that “you don’t need to see the whole staircase to take the first step”.
“For me, studying law at university was the start of a journey that has not necessarily been linear,” she said.
“Stay true to your values, and don’t be afraid to take opportunities when they present themselves to you.”
Rose Cocchiaro, 46
Resolve Divorce
School: Annesley College
Graduated: 1995
Founder of Resolve Divorce Rose Cocchiaro left high school “thinking I was unstoppable”.
“I was encouraged to believe I could do whatever I wanted to do if I put my mind to it,” she said.
“I started studying law during my university journey as a way of finding purpose and recognised my passion for helping people.”
Naturally, family law was “an obvious choice” for Ms Cocchiaro to “have the greatest impact on society in a meaningful way”.
Initially she worked in general law before moving into specialist family firms.
Introspective work is important for high school graduates so they can “discover what type of person you are”, she said.
“If you think you want to be a lawyer, ask yourself, do you have the qualities of someone who wants to help people, are you a good communicator, are you able to think critically?”
Marissa Mackie
Norman Waterhouse
School: Eynesbury College
Graduated: 1999
Debating in high school and a love of John Grisham novels unlocked a legal passion for President of the Law Society of SA Marissa Mackie.
Most of her secondary years were spent at Walford Anglican School for Girls, but then completed year 11 and 12 at Eynesbury College.
At the time Ms Mackie also had an interesting in accounting and finance and did not think to study law until she had almost completed a commerce degree.
Since then, she worked in both the private and public sector in the legal profession.
“A legal degree can open up so many opportunities across a range of different practise areas and in different settings,” she said.
“One of the greatest things about the legal profession is the collegiality of our networks and the mentoring and support that senior practitioners provide to those more junior.
“I have been grateful for those I spoke to when first deciding to study law who both encouraged and inspired me.”
Daniel Kiley
HWL Ebsworth Lawyers
School: Graduated St Michael’s College
Bianca D’Angelo, 30
Resolve Divorce
School: St Aloysius College
Graduated: 2012 with an ATAR of 96
It was at 10 years old that Resolve Divorce’s Bianca D’Angelo realised she wanted to become a lawyer.
“High school helped me learn discipline and focus on ensuring I would reach my goal of getting to university and later passing my law degree,” Ms D’Angelo said.
“High school can be overwhelming but there are so many options now that you just need to do your best, put in everything you’ve got and enjoy the ride!”
Leah Marrone
Flinders Chambers
School: Graduated Nuriootpa High School
Susan Babidge
AI Group Workplace Lawyers
School: Graduated Annesley College
Ashlee Wachtel, 32 – Resolve Divorce
Resolve Divorce
School: Walford Anglican School for Girls
Graduated: With an ATAR of 97.9
After graduating Walford Anglican School for Girls with a high ATAR, Ashlee Wachtel decided to hedge her bets by pursuing a double degree in law and health sciences.
“I didn’t always set out to become a lawyer,” she said.
“At school I was curious about a wide range of subjects which led me to pursue a double degree in law and health sciences to keep my options open.”
But as she progressed at university, it became clear the law was the path for her.
“I wanted to work in an area that was closely connected to people,” Ms Wachtel said.
“Finding an area of law that you genuinely enjoy is so important for long-term fulfilment.”
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