Adaena Sinclair-Blakemore (’11)

POSTED January 30 2026

Human Rights Lawyer

Adaena has spent her career at the intersection of law and the protection of human rights, whether contributing to cases arising from international conflict, supporting press freedom or researching the protection of fundamental human rights. Her journey, spanning several countries and legal systems, reflects both her intellectual ambition and her resolve to use the law to serve others.

Adaena attended St Mary’s from 2007 to 2011. After graduating, she completed a Bachelor of Arts in French and Italian at the University of Western Australia, before moving to Melbourne to undertake a Juris Doctor at the University of Melbourne. She began her legal career as a solicitor in Melbourne before working as an Associate to a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia, an experience that strengthened her interest in public and international law.

Her academic achievements earned her both a Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholarship and a Cambridge Australia Scholarship, enabling her to pursue a Master of Laws at the University of Cambridge. There, she specialised in international law and human rights law, setting the direction for her future work.

Adaena later moved to Strasbourg, France, to work for a Judge of the European Court of Human Rights. In this role, she assisted with a range of significant cases, including matters concerning Russia’s occupation of Georgia and the detention of journalists in Turkey following the attempted coup d’état in 2016. Her time in this role deepened her resolve to work in the protection and advancement of human rights.

She currently works for the British Institute of International and Comparative Law in London, undertaking research in human rights law. In July 2026, she will return to Australia to serve as an Associate to a Justice of the High Court of Australia before commencing practice as a barrister specialising in human rights and international law.

Throughout her career, Adaena has continued to reflect on the impact St Mary’s had on her journey. Attending an all-girls’ school gave her the confidence to express her views with clarity and conviction, an attribute she carries into her work today. St Mary’s strong languages program was also pivotal; her knowledge of French, first developed at school, enabled her to secure her role at the European Court of Human Rights, where fluency in both English and French is essential. The School further supported her academic ambitions by awarding her the Lynne Thompson Overseas Study Scholarship, which helped make her studies at Cambridge possible.

Adaena looks back on her time at St Mary’s with gratitude for the opportunities and encouragement that shaped her aspirations and her career.