Lawyers Weekly 30 under 30 Awards has nominated 26-year-old Marina Antonellis as one of ten finalists in the Tax Law category.
The awards program has been recognising young lawyers for over a decade for their honours commitment, and advanced levels of competence in Australia’s lawyers at the age of 30 and under across the nation.
“I was in complete shock, I couldn’t believe it,” said Marina Antonellis to Neos Kosmos, referring to the moment she found out about her nomination.
The 26-year-old Greek Australian lawyer says that the nomination has not only been a great recognition for the “hard work” she’s put in, but also serves as a sign of “perseverance” and great reward to her grandparents, who came to Australia “with nothing,” in pursuit of a better life.
“I just wanted to make them proud and to be able to tell them, look I was nominated, I am a finalist.”
Marina’s mother, Dimi Antonellis, describes her daughter as a “hard worker” who always puts “110% in everything she does.”
“She doesn’t shy away from work; she’ll give anything a go. She just keeps going and it’s starting to pay off in many ways,” Dimi told Neos Kosmos.
Mrs Antonellis proudly stresses that Marina managed to get picked as the best nominee among her colleagues in the law firm she works for, but also made it into the list of the top 10 finest lawyers across Australia.
The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Friday 2 June in Sydney.
As for the future, Marina’s focus is to “keep working hard,” as well as “keep being a good, kind and compassionate person.”
