Courtney Furner completed a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws. She is an Australian/Polish and she lives in Zurich, Switzerland.
Courtney's journey since UWA.
After graduating, I worked at an international law firm in Perth.
After a few years with the firm, I wanted to gain greater exposure to the Australian judicial system, so I undertook a judicial associateship at the Supreme Court of Western Australia.
I then moved to Geneva, Switzerland, to complete an LL.M. in international dispute settlement. Following my graduation, I started working at LALIVE, a Swiss boutique law firm specialising in cross-border dispute resolution.
My time at UWA was important to my life today because it gave me the opportunity to continue my studies in German, and to study abroad at the University of Vienna. During my year in Vienna, I studied international law, represented Austria in a moot court at the International Court of Justice and was accepted for an internship at the United Nations. These experiences assisted me in being considered for acceptance into the LL.M. program, and continue to assist me in my present job.
What’s your passion and how do you want to make a difference in the world?
I am passionate about being exposed to new experiences, whether at work during the week, in the mountains on the weekend, meeting new people out and about or travelling somewhere where I haven’t been before.
I hope to make a small difference in the world by always making the time to nurture my curiosity and personal relationships, no matter how demanding my professional life can be.
What is the most interesting aspect of your career? Where could it go from here?
Working with diverse teams on challenging international cases. At LALIVE, teams are not fixed, but rather, comprise different groups of lawyers depending on the subject matter, the industry, the applicable jurisdiction as well as language requirements of the case at hand. There is much to learn from (and fun to be had when working intensely with) those of different legal, cultural, linguistic and personal backgrounds. I am privileged to work with colleagues who are not only talented in what they do, but also, from whom one learns more about the world.