Swimmer in the fast lane to success

If work ethic is anything to go by, aspiring Olympian and University of Queensland law graduate Aisling Scott will one day be a gold medal lawyer.

The 22-year-old TC Beirne School of Law graduate from The Gap trains 30 hours a week towards her goal of swimming for Australia at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

But she is also preparing for a brilliant career outside the pool.

“I have been working as a paralegal in the Dispute Resolution team − specialising in commercial litigation and corporate insolvency − at King and Wood Mallesons, in between study and training for the Australian Swim Team,” Ms Scott said.

“In 2017 I start a graduate law training program there.”

While still a law student, Ms Scott was a finalist in the individual medley and breaststroke at the 2015 Australian Swimming Championships and picked up bronze at the 2014 Short Course Swimming Championships.

She also managed to travel during her degree, studying legal history, law of freedom of expression, and counterterrorism in at the University of Manchester in England as part of the UQ Abroad program.

“It was not too different from studying in Australia, with lecturers and seminars, and a mix of course work, essays and examinations,” Ms Scott said.

“I made some amazing friends in Manchester − on my course, with my flatmates and also with the swimming team.”

Aisling said she had enjoyed studying law at UQ.

“St Lucia is a beautiful campus and the law school is one of the oldest and proudest in the country.”

Media: Danielle Koopman UQ Faculty of Business, Economics and Law: 0402 968 131 or d.koopman@uq.edu.au