brisbanelawyers

Suzy Cairney has seen a lot of shipping containers in her time but the most memorable one was in the foyer of a French shipping agency, transformed into a giant shark tank.

“That was brilliant advertising, you knew exactly what you were getting into when you negotiated with those guys.”

The former European Legal Counsel for the Port of Singapore, has worked in several in-house roles in Australia and overseas and is now a partner at Sparke Helmore in Brisbane.

She speaks to Alex Correa about the family priorities which saw her choose Australia over her homeland Scotland, how helping build something is better than endless litigation and why her eyes light up when she talks about supply chains!

Suzy also details the diagnosis which changed her approach without ever changing her attitude.

“I would not suggest that cancer was something anybody wants .. however, I'm actually quite grateful for the experience.”

“You do mature, maybe grow into yourself a little bit and I really think that changing perspective is something that has been a surprise for me.”

TOPICS

• Working in-house for multi-national companies 
• Practicing law in Europe, Asia, and Australia    
• Life as a law firm partner        
• Women in engineering and construction  
• Maintaining wellness while practicing law

Enjoyed the podcast? Share and Enjoy! 

• Please don't forget to leave a rating via Apple Podcasts
• Never miss a drop by subscribing on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
• If you want to talk about your career in law reach out to us here  
• Or why not connect with Alex on LinkedIn   

Credits

Host: Alex Correa - Career Coach in Law

Brought to you by Alex Correa Executive  

With thanks to our guest : Suzy Cairney

Friends in Law is edited and engineered by Cold Ghost (aka Fletcher Babb)  Produced by Bern Young 

Do you remember when lawyers didn’t even have computers at their desks?

The opportunity for robotics and automation and how that will impact the future of work is an issue across all industries, including the law.

Alister Fitzgerald, CEO and founder of Field, is at the forefront, providing a digital platform that is already reshaping legal work within the property industry.

But can technology reduce the all-consuming nature of being a lawyer and make for a more sustainable, enjoyable career? 

Quotes

“I'm very interested in technology and how it can change the way things operate for the better. I'm a systems person, and not in the sense necessarily of the micro level, but I like things that should connect to work better.”

“I don’t think everyone needs to know how to be an expert software developer but the threshold to learn to do some simple coding isn't that high. And I think they're probably skills that are useful, if only to have an understanding and empathy for people who are going to be very relevant in the profession.”

“(By 2050) I can't imagine lawyers doing what lawyers do now .. but I would hope that the thinking and the intellect and the morality of the processes that find themselves into software are directed by people with similar intelligence and application in the legal profession as they do now.”

TOPICS

•     The Future of Law and automation 
•     Legal tech, client delivery, and career fulfillment 
•     Partnership, big law, and life outside of private practice
•     Lawyers who are entrepreneurs        

Enjoyed the podcast? Share and Enjoy! 

• Please don't forget to leave a rating via Apple Podcasts
• Never miss a drop by subscribing on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
• If you want to talk about your career in law reach out to us here  
• Or why not connect with Alex on LinkedIn   

Credits

Host: Alex Correa - Career Coach in Law

Brought to you by Alex Correa Executive  

With thanks to our guest : Alister Fitzgerald

Friends in Law is edited and engineered by Cold Ghost (aka Fletcher Babb)  Produced by Bern Young 

When Antonia Mercorella first turned her back on a career in law to pursue a life in the arts, she couldn’t have imagined her job title now - CEO of the Real Estate Institute of Queensland.

“I got a clerkship at a highly regarded commercial law firm in Adelaide. But I really didn't enjoy it. And I left to join the State Theatre Company.”

“I remember people saying to me, you're mad. And a few times in my career that's happened, where people have judged me and said, ‘What are you doing? You're all over the place.’"

As the first female CEO of the REIQ, Antonia is determined to right the gender imbalance in leadership and thrives on settling the disputes that inevitably brings.

QUOTES:

“I feel a responsibility now as a CEO, I have women ask me, how did you do this and how do you manage it? And I try and be really honest about the fact that it's a real challenge. You know, juggling everything is a real challenge. And there's no perfection in any of it.”

“I have mixed feelings about it. At one level, I feel extremely privileged to be the first female in 103 years. And at another level, it really disappoints me that it's taken that long for a female to lead REIQ.”

“We were labeled anti-tenant, and we were labeled as heartless. And that was challenging because I actually have a very strong social justice slant.”

“Why are you apologising for being pregnant? There's no need for an apology. And I think it's really disappointing that that occurs, and yet I've been there myself, I'm guilty of it.”

TOPICS

• From private practice to the C-Suite and industry-shaping    
• Authentic leadership, parenthood and quotas  
• Diversity, inclusion and organisational change
• Traditional legal career path vs a flexible/divergent path       

This podcast tackles the topic of quotas for women.  Visit Developing Talent if you are looking for fun and innovative ways to build confidence and capability around these issues of diversity and inclusion within your organisation.     

Enjoyed the podcast? Share and Enjoy! 

• Please don't forget to leave a rating via Apple Podcasts
• Never miss a drop by subscribing on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
• If you want to talk about your career in law reach out to us here  
• Or why not connect with Alex on LinkedIn   

Credits

Host: Alex Correa - Career Coach in Law

Brought to you by Alex Correa Executive  

With thanks to our guest : Antonia Mercorella

Friends in Law is edited and engineered by Cold Ghost (aka Fletcher Babb)  Produced by Bern Young 

“So many people I’ve spoken to say their concern is, a career in law is just not sustainable.”

It’s not a new issue to regular listeners of Friends-in-Law, however in the past this fear around career longevity and career intensity has mostly been a wake-up call from working parents.

So if it’s not about children, what kind of work-life balance are young lawyers  looking for? And what do firm managers need to understand in order to get the best from early career lawyers?

Minnie Hannaford is an Associate at Holding Redlich and newly appointed President of the Queensland Law Society’s Future Leaders Committee.

“As much as we do want to progress in our career .. We also want to have lives outside of law and outside of work.”

“We struggle with knowing how to say that without it being a career limitation, without it sounding like, you’re not committed to the work.”

“I actually think it’s quite the opposite, we want to have a balanced and joyful life so we can perform at work.”

TOPICS

• Early career lawyers 
• Managing and Leading Gen Y Lawyers 
• Mid-Career drop off 
• Sustainability of a career in law
• Mental health 

This podcast tackles the topics of mental health and ageism.  Visit Developing Talent if you are looking for fun and innovative ways to build confidence and capability around these issues of diversity and inclusion within your organisation.   

Enjoyed the podcast? Share and Enjoy! 

• Please don't forget to leave a rating via Apple Podcasts
• Never miss a drop by subscribing on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
• If you want to talk about your career in law reach out to us here  
• Or why not connect with Alex on LinkedIn   

Credits

Host: Alex Correa - Career Coach in Law

Brought to you by Alex Correa Executive  

With thanks to our guest : Minnie Hannaford

Friends in Law is edited and engineered by Cold Ghost (aka Fletcher Babb)  Produced by Bern Young 

As a highly skilled commercial litigator and legal consultant for KWM Connexion, Sarah Frost has spent years working from home.

Her observations and insights of “the laws imposed by COVID” are not just about the workplace but career progression as well.

Sarah believes COVID has increased workplace flexibility, improved communication and productivity but firms can’t be entirely run remotely or the baristas of the world might go crazy! Why?

Sarah Frost explains as she looks at the future of work, the pressure to climb the ladder and that old favourite, networking.

“Half the battle of working flexibly was the client piece .. Now that clients have had to do it themselves, they’ve seen that it actually does work.”

“What Covid did for me was it gave me permission to actually stop connecting and stop doing, because I’m a doer.”

“I was able to take a step back from everything .. and that’s from every aspect of my life, not just work.”

“There may be a career after law - I don’t know what that will look like or when.”

“The message that was sold to me is no longer the message I accept.”

TOPICS

• Insights and observations of the impact of COVID
• Changing workplaces + changing career trajectories
• The definition of success
• Opportunities from trusted networks 
• Billable targets and client expectations 

This podcast tackles the topic of flexible working.  Visit Developing Talent if you are looking for fun and innovative ways to build confidence and capability around these issues of diversity and inclusion within your organisation.   

Enjoyed the podcast? Share and Enjoy! 

• Please don't forget to leave a rating via Apple Podcasts
• Never miss a drop by subscribing on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
• If you want to talk about your career in law reach out to us here
• Or why not connect with Alex on LinkedIn   

Credits

Host: Alex Correa - Career Coach in Law

Brought to you by Alex Correa Executive  

With thanks to our guest : Sarah Frost

Friends in Law is edited and engineered by Cold Ghost (aka Fletcher Babb)  

Produced by Bern Young

Adrian Moffatt describes himself as an entrepreneur, trapped in a lawyer’s body.

As General Counsel (Asia Pacific) at Ausco Modular, Adrian proves that an in-house lawyer’s value goes beyond their legal advice.

Adrian’s heavily involved in business development and his enthusiasm is evident when he speaks of how a simple conversation about women playing AFL turned into a multi-million dollar opportunity for his company, which he was able to lead.

Through booms and busts in the mining industry, the growth in modular classrooms for schools and the explosion in women’s elite sport, Adrian’s ability to connect people and opportunities has given him job satisfaction well beyond a traditional legal role.

“I think lawyers are often seen as roadblocks, as just negative people because we’re looking at the risk all the time.”

“We’re so fortunate that we have visibility across the whole organisation .. you can build relationships right down in the organisation.”

“You’ve got to know what the drivers of the business are, what the goals of the business are, how the business works.”

TOPICS

Building and leveraging relationships at all levels within and beyond a global organisation

Connecting people within the legal field and executive networks

Leadership with passion and enthusiasm

Fostering partnerships and finding purpose

Identifying and mitigating risk while finding alternative solutions

Developing legal talent with job plans for engaged, high-performing lawyers

Enjoyed the podcast? Share and Enjoy! 

• Please don't forget to leave a rating via Apple Podcasts
• Never miss a drop by subscribing on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
• If you want to talk about your career in law reach out to us here  
• Or why not connect with Alex on LinkedIn   

Credits

Host: Alex Correa - Career Coach in Law

Brought to you by Alex Correa Executive  

With thanks to our guest : Adrian Moffatt

Friends in Law is edited and engineered by Cold Ghost (aka Fletcher Babb)  Produced by Bern Young and thanks to Amelia Rees for the inspiration and nudge.