MELBOURNE, July 22 (Bernama) -- A leading Australian university has
featured a Malaysian lawyer to highlight its alumi''s global impact.
The University of Adelaide says from the boardrooms of New York to the
orphanages of Bali, to international policy development in Geneva, its graduates
are exploring new cultures, sharing their knowledge and helping to improve the
lives of others.
It says one such trail-blazing alumni is Karen Abraham, an IP lawyer with
Shearn Delamore & Co in Kuala Lumpur.
The university''s alumni magazine ``Lumen'''' says the words "social" and
"creative" may not immediately spring to mind when one thinks about corporate
law - but spend five minutes with Karen and it''s clear that open engagement with
ideas, people and cultures are powerful igniting factors.
She says it''s an approach to life that began during her time at the
University of Adelaide.
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LAWYER-INTERNATIONAL 2 MELBOURNE
"My time studying in Adelaide was a turning point for me. It introduced me
to the Australian way of life in general - it''s all about balance - and I think
it''s just that which has so much to offer Asian students," she told Lumen.
The young lawyer, who graduated with a Bachelor of Law (Hons) in 1988 in
Adelaide, credits numerous firsts to her name, including being the first
Malaysian woman appointed on the International Trademark Association''s Board of
Directors (INTA) headquartered in New York, and the first Malaysian to sit on
the Bureau of the Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété
Intellectuelle (AIPPI) based in Zurich.
Karen heads the Intellectual Property and Information Technology Department
of Shearn Delamore & Co, one of the oldest and largest full service firms in
Malaysia.
Studying in Adelaide, Karen was following in the footsteps of her father -
pioneering University of Adelaide medical graduate Datuk Dr Samuel Abraham.
Among the first Malaysians to study in Adelaide under the Colombo Plan, the
late Dr Abraham was the first non-Australian Student Union President and
integral to bridging the gap between Australian and Asian students at Lincoln
College at the University of Adelaide.
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Throwing herself into university life, Karen counts singing in a band at the
UniBar and performing in the Adelaide Law Review as equally important as the
classroom.
Karen specialised in IP litigation for 10 years after graduating, before
realising she needed to "reinvent" her career.
"I diluted my litigation focus of my career and started travelling, speaking
and writing abroad - gaining international recognition for my firm," she told
the magazine.
As part of this, Karen has been invited to speak to Malaysian students about
studying in Australia - a topic she is passionate about.
"I strongly encourage students to spend their time at the residential
colleges, it''s about learning and exposing yourself to another culture."
Karen''s last words of advice for students: "Study hard but play hard!"
-- BERNAMA
NDC HK AO