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Issue 55 – February 2016 – QUEEN MARGARET CALLING
From 1977 to 1983, Catherine was a student of the College
and took an active role in school life, involving herself in
productions, debating and as Music and Drama Prefect.
However, it was as early as fourth form (Year 10) that this
Braemar girl realised that she wanted to go into the Law profession.
“We had a careers afternoon and there was one brochure that
stood out for me because it listed the skills I loved – public speaking,
English, writing, academic study. I opened the brochure to discover
that I was suited to be a lawyer,” Catherine explains.
“That occupation had never entered my mind before then. It was
a defining moment and I never looked back in my desire to be a
lawyer.”
After leaving College, Catherine went straight to Victoria
University, Wellington to study a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of
Arts majoring in Languages.
In her second year she was fortunate enough to be awarded a
scholarship to study in Germany.
“This was a truly amazing experience and I’m sure I learned a lot
more in life skills from this experience than I ever would have from
academic study,” Catherine says.
“Being totally immersed in a new culture and new language,
having the experiences of travelling to different countries and
meeting many new and interesting people was a sure way for me to
broaden my horizons.”
Graduating with an Arts Degree and Law Degree with Honours,
Catherine worked for a number of law firms before finally taking
the plunge to go out on her own as a barrister nearly four years ago.
She worked her way up the ranks from Solicitor to Senior
Associate to Partner at Brookfields Lawyers before becoming Special
Counsel for law firmKielyThompson Caisley.Now she runs her own
legal practice as an Employment Law barrister.
Accomplished Barrister Catherine Stewart decided on a career in Law
during her early years at Queen Margaret College.
Raising The Bar
In 2013 Catherine was
awarded the top award for
Employment Lawyer of the Year,
and she was also first runner up
for Barrister of the Year at the NZ
Law Awards.
Other strings to Catherine’s
bow include being a regular
presenter and writer on topical
employment law issues, as
well as a member of the New
Zealand Bar Association, the
New Zealand Law Society, the
Auckland Women Lawyer’s
Association and the Auckland
District Law Society.
She is also the Convenor of the Employment Law Committee for
the Auckland District Law Society.
Despite her professional success, Catherine says, without doubt,
her greatest achievement is her three children.
“At the end of the day no awards or success in my career can
compare to the experiences of watching my children grow up and
seeing them happy and healthy,” Catherine comments.
Reflecting on her time at the College, Catherine has many fond
memories but the one that stands out was ascending the clock-tower
on the last day of school and writing her name on the tower wall.
“Finally being allowed to climb it was a bit like a rite of passage
into the real world,” she explains.