About

Having started her legal career in 2013 at Herbert Smith Freehills, Amy Jennings recently assumed the role of senior legal counsel at Tennis Australia, having first moved to Melbourne to take on the role of legal counsel with Tennis Australia in July 2016. Recognised as a key member of the team, one nominator says: ‘Jennings is a respected and trusted member of our legal team. Her diligence and quest to learn will position her well as she advances on her path to be a future leader in our industry’. Much of her work at Tennis Australia is focused on supporting the business to create memorable tennis events, everything from junior wheelchair tennis events to the Australian open. ‘During the summer of 2018-19 I had the privilege of providing legal support for the Hopman Cup – an annual, international eight-team tennis tournament held in Perth for over 30 years’, says Jennings. On New Year’s Eve, the tournament drew a record crowd of 14,064 attendees to watch Serena Williams and Roger Federer face each other on court for the very first time in their extraordinary careers. ‘It is such a unique challenge as a lawyer to contractually draw together administrators, event organisers, sponsors, and players from across the world to make these moments of tennis history possible’, adds Jennings. The proudest achievements of her in-house career have been those occasions where she can watch her legal work directly contribute to the on-field achievements of athletes. In particular, she has worked with a number of athletes in football and tennis who have been born abroad and moved to Australia as refugees – often as very young children, sometimes having lost several family members in conflict – who have a shared dream of playing for their new home at the highest level. ‘Achieving this dream requires guiding the athlete and their family through a considerable amount of legal and regulatory work, liaising with government authorities and sports governing bodies, and can take many years to finalise. To see one of these athletes finally take the field for Australia is humbling and unforgettable – and to watch their careers continue to flourish is for me a source of immense pride. Because I have done my best work, they can do theirs’, explains Jennings. In addition to her current role with Tennis Australia, Jennings also volunteers as a tribunal member for Football Federation Victoria, the governing body of soccer in Victoria, and sits on the Board of Ausdance Victoria, the peak body for dance in Victoria. Prior to this she worked in Sydney with Football with Football Federation Australia as legal and regulatory officer.