MELBOURNE, Australia — More than five years ago, on two different continents and only days apart, an Australian woman and an Australian man entered indefinite detention.

For the woman, a defense lawyer at the International Criminal Court, being arrested was a relatively brief but harrowing affair, punctuated by armed men, dark rooms and aggressive interrogation. For the man, a co-founder of WikiLeaks, detention continues, though some might say voluntarily.

The lawyer, Melinda Taylor, would go on to represent the man, Julian Assange.

Ms. Taylor, now 42, has earned a reputation for defending the rights of individuals condemned by the court of public opinion before they have set foot inside an actual courtroom. Her clients have included Mr. Assange and Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, a son of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the deposed Libyan strongman.

Mr. Assange, perhaps best known for publishing leaked United States military documents, has remained inside the Ecuadorean Embassy in London since 2012, after the Swedish authorities issued a warrant for his arrest over a rape accusation.