‘Boston Legal’ inspires Kinivuai
Her biggest challenge was juggling studies with her social life.
Growing up watching the American Legal comedydrama ‘Boston Legal’ played an influential role in the life of Bulou Vialele Azariah Kinivuai.
Apart from the David E. Kelley directed television series, Ms Kinivuai was also inspired by legal drama ‘Suits’.
The vocal University of the South Pacific (USP) law graduate was among 19 law graduates who were admitted to the bar on Wednesday.
Ms Kinivuai said her days spent glued to the legal series coupled with the encouragement from her family led her to pursue a career in the legal profession. “When I was growing up my family would always tell me that I would make a great lawyer and I thought I would give it a try. They always said that mostly because I am vocal and very talkative,” the 23-year-old said.
Raised by a single mother after her parents separated when she was a child, Ms Kinivuai said it did little to affect her education because her father made sure he supported her and her three siblings throughout.
One person she navigated law school with, both locally and in Vanuatu, was her best friend Leah Marama Duru, who was also admitted to the bar on Wednesday. “I was fortunate to have my best friend who was admitted today (yesterday) along with me so most of the time I was glad that I was going through hardships with her,” she said.
“We knew each other from high school and we both went to Vanuatu together to attend law school.” She said their friendship was cemented when they, “got through a lot of broke days and hungry days together,” which enabled them to pull through.
“I am glad my best friend was there to guide me and we motivated each other through our studies. “That made me enjoy law school and I made a lot of good friends too.” Acknowledging her parents and family support Ms Kinivuai added that the biggest challenge for her was juggling studies and social life.
She aspires to work at the Legal Aid Commission so she can gain extensive knowledge and experience about dealing with clients from different backgrounds. She hails from Namara in Kadavu with maternal links to Rotuma.