A growing network of Christian lawyers and legal professionals from around the world will gather in Brisbane, Australia, next year to support vulnerable groups on the fringes of society and help remove barriers to accessing justice in a manner that affirms, respects, and uplifts their humanity.
The Kingdom International Legal Network (KILN) Conference, themed ‘Justice on the Edge,’ will be held at the Stamford Plaza Hotel in Brisbane. The conference underscores the pivotal role legal practitioners play in providing pathways to justice for everyone.
The program will address various social justice areas, including migration, refugee issues, criminal law, child protection, family law, estate law, and specific issues relating to First Nations peoples and those living with disabilities.
KILN is intentionally multi-denominational and international, with a focus on building deep and enduring friendships that foster mutual encouragement among legal professionals who hold faith.
These relationships have led to mentoring, resource sharing, lawyer exchange programs across private law firms, and international conferences.
Founded by two law firms, Shekinah Law of Fiji and Vocare Law (formerly Corney & Lind Lawyers) Australia, KILN held its inaugural conference in Fiji in 2018. Over the past six years, it has evolved into a biennial conference, with the most recent held in Naivasha, Kenya.
The conferences have attracted up to 130 delegates from 15 countries, featuring judicial officers, senior and junior law practitioners, law students, and legal support workers from Africa, Europe, Asia, America, and Oceania.
Fiji-born Laurel Vaurasi and Heilala Tabete of Shekinah Law and Vocare Law, along with a global committee of lawyers from various jurisdictions, have played key roles in facilitating this network. Their passion is to inspire Christians in the legal community to view and conduct their work as a calling to Kingdom Ministry.
In honor of the memory of the late Adi Alisi Tabete and the late Ratu David-George Toganivalu, who were key supporters of the conference, the Tabete and Toganivalu families are granting an award for one Fiji law student to attend the Brisbane 2025 KILN Conference.
To receive the award, Fiji law students are invited to write an essay of 1000–1500 words on “Navigating Persecution and Hardship in the Pursuit of Justice: Reforming the Rule of Law.”
Award requirements and guidelines:
1. The award applicant must be a Fiji citizen.
2. The award applicant must be a Fiji law student enrolled in an LLB program at a Fiji University.
3. The essay should focus on themes of resilience, courage in overcoming challenges, and the importance of legal reforms.
The Tabete-Toganivalu KILN Award will provide the successful applicant with:
1. A return economy flight from Nadi to Brisbane.
2. Paid registration for the KILN Conference 2025 from 26–28 February 2025.
3. Four nights’ accommodation at the Stamford Plaza Brisbane for the duration of the conference.
Interested applicants should email KILNTabeteToganivaluAward@gmail.com for an Application Kit. The application period runs from 8 August 2024 to 5 September 2024.