ALL PAST INTERNS /

Rebecca Wheeler


Rebecca Wheeler

Internship Dates
January 2010 – February 2010.

Where do you call Home?
Canberra, Australia.

Where are you now?
Senior Lawyer for the Therapeutic Goods Administration of the Commonwealth Department of Health.

Where have you been in between?
Senior Lawyer of Department of Home Affairs (started as a Lawyer in October 2015). I have also worked as a sessional academic teaching Evidence Law at the University of Canberra. Prior to working at the Department of Home Affairs and as a sessional academic, I worked as an Associate to Magistrate Dingwall at the ACT Magistrates Court. For over 3 years whilst studying at the University of Canberra, I also worked full-time as a Litigation Paralegal and Senior Law Clerk at Kamy Saeedi Lawyers and Trinity Law (two mid-tier firms in Canberra).

Career progression since TP? 
Since my time at TP in early 2010, I graduated from my degree with First Class Honours and have worked as a Paralegal, Senior Law Clerk, Associate, sessional academic and progressed from a Lawyer to a Senior Lawyer.

Personal highlights?
Working on a Taskforce to implement the Prime Minister’s Machinery of Government changes in 2017. My work supported the most significant change to Australia’s national security and intelligence arrangements in decades. It also involved preparing instruments of delegation and because of this new-found expertise I have now worked with a number of Commonwealth agencies to assist them in restructuring their instruments of delegation and authorisation.

I was recently a finalist for the Government Lawyer Category of the “Lawyers Weekly 30 under 30”, recognising Australia’s best young lawyers.

Activities away from work?
I am the President/Chair of the ACT Young Lawyers for 2019 and last year I was the Secretary. I have been on the committee since 2015. I enjoy being on the committee as I see it as an opportunity to further the interests of young lawyers by providing opportunities for them to develop their professional skills, as well as provide networking opportunities to enable them to make new contacts.                                                                                          I also enjoy going to the gym and travelling. 

The future…..?
I’m happy with where I am currently in my career, but I look forward to continuing to develop my skills and experience so that eventually I can independently manage my own practice effectively and efficiently.

Reflections on your time in Kuala Lumpur and at Thomas Philip?
I had a wonderful time in KL and at TP and I always recall my time there fondly – all the staff at TP are so lovely and welcoming. At that time, it was my first time overseas which was quite daunting but the experience of being out of my comfort zone made me more mature and the work at TP put me in good stead for my later roles as a Paralegal and Senior Law Clerk.