From Kingaroy student to district court judge, Nicole Kefford inspires local students to chase their legal dreams

First introduced to the trials and tribulations of a law career at Kingaroy State High School, Judge Nicole Kefford rose through the ranks to become a district court judge. She now wants to show our region's future lawyers, barristers and judges they can do the same.

District Court Judge Nicole Kefford. Picture: Dominic Elsome

Walking into her first legal studies class as a Year 11 student at Kingaroy State High School, Nicole Kefford had no idea she was taking her first step to becoming a successful barrister and district court judge.

Now with more than 20 years of experience under her belt, Judge Kefford hopes to inspire other young people in the South Burnett region to take a chance on themselves and not shy away from a future in law.

“I request circuit in Kingaroy as a preference because I still have family here, but I also like to give back to the school,” Judge Kefford said.

“Usually the Grade 12 legal studies class comes to Brisbane for an excursion, so this gives me a second opportunity to meet with them and give them a bit of insight.

“I'm very conscious that I’d never met a lawyer and didn’t have any exposure to the law other than the theoretical side of it, and no opportunity to question someone about what it’s like to practise as a lawyer in a day-to-day sense.”

Judge Kefford said this blind spot resulted in a real shock to the system when she began her studies at the University of Queensland, going from being a “top performer in a relatively small pond” to being surrounded by brilliant young minds from across the state.

First drawn to the challenge of interpreting the law, this hunger for learning was the driving force behind Judge Kefford’s eventual success in Planning and Environment law, quickly rising from an articled clerk at Deacons Solicitors (now Norton Rose Fullbright) to a barrister in just seven years.

District Court Judge Nicole Kefford. Picture: Dominic Elsome

“I loved being a barrister. I loved the challenge of cross-examining people, particularly experts, where you're trying to understand their field of expertise, whether that be hydraulic engineering or town planning,” she said.

“There's a whole range of areas of expertise that you get to learn a little bit about and I really enjoyed the challenge of that.”

After she was approached to put in an expression of interest, Judge Kefford was appointed a judge of the District Court of Queensland in 2016.

She said the role of a judge is rewarding but certainly not easy, requiring hours of careful contemplation and the weight of responsibility.

“There’s a sense of responsibility to publish judgments in a prompt manner, yet on the other hand, there is a difficulty of not having a lot of time to dedicate to writing those judgments because the criminal workload is never-ending,” she said.

“The pressures of the criminal workload seem to be increasing, and the complexities of sentences seem to be increasing, because of extensive criminal histories.”

While she encourages hopeful lawyers, barristers and judges to chase their goals through hard work, drawing upon her own experience she also encourages these young people to seek balance.

“If you have a particular interest in an area it can be difficult to remember to be kind to yourself and not to overwork,” Judge Kefford said.

“Work hard but also don't forget to be kind to yourself. The difficulty is in finding that balance in life.”

Originally published as From Kingaroy student to district court judge, Nicole Kefford inspires local students to chase their legal dreams