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Hanna Yelack, Lawyer Arnold Bloch Leibler
Adelaide-based solicitor Hanna Yelack, a two-time Dux award recipient for both CTA1 Foundations in Student Period 2 2025 and CTA2A Advanced in Student Period 3 2025, shares how studying the Graduate Diploma of Australian Tax Law (GDATL) has changed the way she approaches complex tax advisory work.
Falling into tax
Not every career begins with a plan. "I more or less fell into tax early in my career through my boss and mentor, Rohan Agnew, at my previous employer Madsen O’Dea Agnew” says Hanna, “who has a strong technical tax background in tax and 20+ years experience in law. Watching him work was what really sparked my interest. He has a way of breaking down complex tax legislation and translating it into practical advice that clients can digest easily. I wanted to develop the same kind of technical foundation so that I could do that myself."
That ambition led her to the GDATL. "My goal was to build a strong foundation so that I could approach complex issues with confidence rather than relying on precedent or standard approaches."
Lawyer who does tax, or tax specialist?
The GDATL has reinforced rather than reshaped Hanna's professional identity. "I see myself primarily as a lawyer who works in tax. That is important to me, because my starting point is always the legal framework: understanding the legislation, interpreting it properly, and applying it rigorously."
What made the difference
Being named Dux twice was, by Hanna's own admission, unexpected. "I hoped to do well, but I certainly did not expect to be named Dux in CTA1 Foundations and CTA2A Advanced subjects. That was a genuine surprise, and a very gratifying one."
She attributes her results to the way her professional work and her studies reinforced each other. "I engage with many of the course themes in a practical way in my day-to-day work. My practice involves drafting advice and transaction documents to consider and then give effect to tax-effective structures, restructures and transactions. That practical experience informed and supported the way I approached my studies, particularly in working through problems in a structured and applied way."
She also made a point of focusing on principles rather than assessment outcomes. "I tried to focus on understanding the underlying principles rather than studying purely for assessment purposes."
Back to first principles
One unexpected benefit of the program was the value of slowing down. "What surprised me most was the extent to which I enjoyed returning to first principles. In practice, there is often a premium on solving the problem immediately in front of you. The GDATL required a more deliberate engagement with the legislation and a more structured way of thinking about why particular tax outcomes arise."
A particular highlight was working through trust scenarios in CTA2A. "Working through scenarios on streaming income to beneficiaries, timing distributions and understanding the interaction with small business CGT concessions highlighted how seemingly small decisions can have significant tax consequences."
Advice for those considering the program
Hanna's guidance is direct: "Don't wait until you feel 'ready'. The courses actually equip you with the foundational knowledge that will make day-to-day tax work much easier and more logical."
On managing the workload, she is refreshingly honest. "Balance isn't constant. During busy periods I focused on doing enough to stay on track, then caught up when things settled down. Over time, steady progress mattered more than trying to maintain a perfect routine."
Her long-term goal is clear: "In the long term, I hope to build a career as a specialist tax adviser focusing on technically challenging work. The qualification is an important step toward that goal."