Alumni News: Joe Dean

From BDC student to inaugural Tuckwell Scholar, Cambridge graduate and Senior Associate at a top tier law firm, Joe Dean’s journey has been shaped by curiosity, opportunity and a willingness to embrace what comes next.

In 2013, while in Year 12 at Bishop Druitt College, Joe Dean was awarded a Tuckwell Scholarship to study at The Australian National University (ANU). The following year, he became part of the very first cohort of Tuckwell Scholars. As the program was still in its infancy, those inaugural scholars had a unique opportunity to help shape the scholarship community and the experience that future scholars would inherit.

More than a decade later, Joe has come full circle. Since 2025, he has been a member of the Tuckwell Scholarship Selection Panel, alongside three other alumni from the 2014 and 2015 cohorts. As one of the first Tuckwell alumni to join the panel, Joe now has the privilege of helping select the next generation of scholars.

His time at ANU was filled with opportunities both inside and outside the classroom. Joe studied a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Commerce, graduating in 2018 with First Class Honours in Law. He came first in several subjects, including Law and the Humanities and Contemporary Issues in Constitutional Law.

He also became heavily involved in university life. From 2014 to 2015, Joe lived at Burton and Garran Hall, where he later became an academic mentor. It was also where he met Elisa, who would become his partner. Joe embraced a diverse range of experiences during his university years, including an internship at the Commonwealth Treasury and working as a program facilitator for Batyr, travelling to schools and universities to help reduce stigma around youth mental health.

One of his favourite opportunities came unexpectedly. While taking Law and the Humanities in 2016, Joe developed a strong interest in the intersection of legal theory and the arts explored in the subject and continued discussing it with his lecturer, Dr Joshua Neoh. A few coffees and conversations later, Dr Neoh offered him a research assistant position. As a research assistant, Joe edited Dr Neoh’s book Law, Love and Freedom: From the Sacred to the Secular, published by Cambridge University Press in 2019. It was an experience that reinforced the value of being curious, asking questions and building relationships. “Make friends with your lecturers when you can!” Joe says.

Joe also served as a Senior Student Editor of the Federal Law Review (one of Australia’s leading academic law journals), ran the ANU Law Students' Society's Negotiation Competitions and spent several years as a Student Ambassador for the ANU College of Law. 

Joe’s legal career began with a Vacation Clerkship at the Sydney office of Herbert Smith Freehills, now known as Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, in 2017–18. He was offered a graduate position at the end of the clerkship and commenced in 2019 after fitting in some travel following university.

In December 2019, Joe was admitted as a lawyer in the Supreme Court of NSW. He has been practising as a solicitor at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer ever since, specialising in corporate insolvency law and litigation. Among his most significant matters was acting for Bain Capital in its acquisition of Virgin Australia out of voluntary administration in 2020. 

Joe's commitment to his field continued with a postgraduate professional qualification in insolvency law through UTS in 2021 and professional membership of the Australian Restructuring, Insolvency and Turnaround Association.

In 2023–24, he took a year away from practice to study a Master of Law at the University of Cambridge, where he was a member of King's College. He specialised in private and commercial law and graduated with First Class Honours. He also dabbled in English legal history.

Upon his return to Sydney in 2024, Joe was promoted to Senior Associate at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer. 

Outside work, he and Elisa have bought their first home in Sydney. They enjoy starting their Saturday mornings at Parkrun and ending their Tuesday evenings at a local trivia night. They are also looking forward to welcoming their first child in January.

For Joe, becoming a member of the Tuckwell Scholarship Selection Panel is a particularly meaningful way to give back. His journey began at BDC, where an opportunity he discovered in the College’s daily notices opened the door to an entirely new chapter. From being part of the first Tuckwell cohort, to discovering his passion for law, building lifelong friendships, studying at Cambridge and establishing a successful legal career, Joe has made the most of the opportunities that have come his way.