A trailblazing Australian woman lawyer
2020 Overall Winner of the 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australian Leadership Awards
Independent . Informed . Influential
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Lyma Nguyen LLM . LLB . GDLP . BA
Lyma practises as a barrister both internationally and domestically, primarily in the area of criminal law and human rights. In both 2021 and 2022, she was named amongst the Northern Territory’s 100 Most Powerful Women. In 2020, she took the top place as overall winner of the 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australian Leadership Awards having also been nationally recognised in 2014 as one of Australia’s 45 Trailblazing Women Lawyers whose oral history is archived in the National Library of Australia.
In 2018, Lyma was appointed List Counsel at the International Criminal Court, having worked over a decade as Civil Party Counsel at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, where she has, alongside Cambodian co-lawyers, represented victims of Cambodia’s genocidal Khmer Rouge regime across Cases 002, 003 and 004. In 2022, she was appointed a member of the Legal Advisory Committee of the International Criminal Court Bar Association (ICCBA), and in 2023, she was appointed a member of the Amicus Committee of the ICCBA.
Domestically, Lyma’s practice includes criminal prosecution and defence, appellate matters before the Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeal, disciplinary inquiries, and advisory work in a variety of administrative, civil and criminal briefs. Having commenced her career at the private bar with Darwin’s prestigious William Forster Chambers (including as a Director Member between 2017 and 2019). Lyma is a member of Chapman’s List Barristers, Victoria and is on the roll of counsel in Victoria as interstate counsel.
In her spare time, Lyma creates artwork and jewellery (sold locally at Jinglin’s Jewellery, The Voyage Arcade). She also performs music locally, including at The Lucky Bat, Flora’s Temper and Novotel/Mercure Splash gigs. Since 2016, Lyma has performed with the William Forster Chambers’ house band, “No Class Action” in the profession’s annual “Battle of the Legal Bands”. She has also performed in a variety of other bands: “The Judicious”, “The Infrequent Flyers” and “The Sabi Wabis”. More recently, Lyma performs in a duo, and as a solo vocalist and guitarist, with performances at joint UNAA NT / AALA NT Christmas Parties (2023, 2024) and the NT Fitzgerald Human Rights Awards (2023, 2024), to name a few.
LYMA’S LIFE AND WORK HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED IN:
- AVI Include a Charity Week: Lunch with human rights advocate and volunteer Lyma Nguyen (29 Aug 2024)
- ANU Open Mike Interview: Lyma Nguyen – From ANU to the International Criminal Court (19 Jan 2021)
- Words of Advice to Younger Self: My Journey to being Overall Winner of the 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australian Award – organised by CPA Victoria Young Professional Network (19 Nov 2020)
- Johnson Diversity Series – Interview with Lyma Nguyen, Overall winner and professions sector winner of the 2020 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australian Awards, November 2020
- Acceptance Speech, 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian-Austrailan Leadership Awards
- Daily Mail, “Vietnamese refugee becomes an award-winning Australian barrister as she reveals the touching reason she wanted to pursue a career in law”, 2 Nov 2020
- Womankind Magazine, “Lyma Nguyen”, July 2014 launch edition
- AVI Return Volunteers, “Fighting for Human Rights”, August 2014
- TedX Talk by Carina Hoang, UNHCR Ambassador for Australia, “Being a refugee is not a choice”
- Darwin Life Magazine, Inspirational Women in Law Series: “Lyma Nguyen”, July 2014 and October 2013 editions
- “Boat People: Personal Stories from the Vietnamese Exodus 1975 – 1996”, (published 2011)
- Brisbane Legal Magazine, “Fighting for Justice in Cambodia” (21 October 2010); AVI magazines (2010/2011)
- ANU Reporter /The Canberra Times, “Echoes in the Killing Fields” (Spring edition, 2010)
- SBS Vietnamese: Second Generations (126): Lyma Nguyen first Australian Civil Party Lawyer at Khmer Rouge Tribunal
- ABC Radio Late Lunch Program: Interview with Miranda Tetlow, aired on 11 November 2020
APPOINTMENTS AND AWARDS
- Inaugural President of the NT Branch of the Asian Australian Lawyers Association (October 2021 to November 2024)
- Overall 2020 winner of the 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australian Leadership Awards (presented 29 October 2020)
- Named by the NT News as one of the Northern Territory’s 100 Most Powerful Women (8 March 2021)
- Committee Member, United Nations Association Australia, NT Chapter (from 29 October 2020)
- Appointed to pool of persons eligible for Local Government Disciplinary Committee (appointed to 2023)
- Member, Diversity and Equity Committee, Australian Bar Association (2016)
- Listed on French Consulate-General website as French-speaking lawyer in the NT (2016)
- Committee Member, Criminal Lawyers Association of the Northern Territory (2017, 2014); Vice-President (2015-2017)
- Representative of NT Bar Association on Law Council of Australia’s Rule of Law Network (2015)
- Member, Northern Territory Bar Council (2014 – 2019)
- Director on the Board of Australian Volunteers International (honorary role, since 2014)
- ‘Trailblazing Woman Lawyer’ (one of 45 selected Australian female lawyers in oral history project conducted by ANU and University of Melbourne, 2014)
- Recipient of Churchill Fellowship – To build expertise in the practice of international criminal justice by examining the operation of international courts and preparing victim representation in a genocide trial before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (2014/2015)
- Recipient of Australian Prime Minister’s Executive Endeavour Award (2013)
- Law and Justice Civilian Expert, Australian Civilian Corps (2012)
- Returned Australian Volunteer from assignment as International Criminal Law Advisor to Legal Aid of Cambodia, Australian Volunteers International (2010/2011)
Professional Profile
- Prosecutor in Prosecution v Xi Jinping at a People’s Tribunal, the Court of the Citizens of the World, presenting an Indictment at a Confirmation Hearing before The Hague, leading the case of crimes against the Tibetan civilian population
- Advisor to Justice and Accountability Network Australia (JANA) / PacificJust (2024 to date)
- International Criminal Court Bar Association: member of Amicus Curiae Committee (2023); member of Legal Advisory Committee (2022)
- International Criminal Court, registered Counsel for accused/suspects/victims (2018)
- Nationally registered Accredited Mediator, Mediator Standards Board (August 2018)
- Barrister, William Forster Chambers (2014), Director Member (2017), Member of Howells List Barristers (2018); Barrister at independent chambers (from 2019)
- International Civil Party Counsel, Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (2009)
- Legal Member (Chair), Local Government Disciplinary Committee (2018-2020; renewed to 2023)
- Member, NT Bar Council (2014-2018)
- Representative on Law Council of Australia’s Rule of Law Network (2015)
- Member, Diversity and Equity Committee, Australian Bar Association (2016)
- Criminal Law Association NT (Committee Member 2017; 2014); Vice-President (2015-2017)
- French-speaking lawyer in NT, French Consulate-General list (2016)
- Director, Board of AVI (since 2014)
- Churchill Fellow, building expertise in international criminal justice (2014)
- Prime Minister’s Executive Endeavour Award (2013)
- Law and Justice Civilian Expert, Australian Civilian Corps (2012)
- First admitted to practice in NSW Supreme Court (2007) and High Court of Australia (2008), then NT Supreme Court (2013)
Education
- Masters in Law (specialising in International Law), Australian National University (LLM)
- Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, College of Law (GDLP)
- Bachelor of Laws, University of Queensland (LLB)
- Bachelor of Arts (Double Major in Philosophy and Peace and Conflict Studies), University of Queensland (BA)
- DELF B1 level French language skills