legalrecruitment

Philosopher John Dewey said, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”

For Ann-Maree David, who once imagined she’d be a teacher, studying law is how she discovered her outlet to educate.

The 2018 Agnes McWhinney Award winner is Executive Director at The College of Law where she has dedicated the past two decades to other lawyers’ career paths.

From the danger of perfectionism, to the nuances of networking, Ann-Maree tells Alex Correa about her own non-traditional legal career, her drive to boost equality and how the current generation simply won’t follow the mistakes of the past.

“We can actually be humans at work, that’s a big lesson for people to learn and if you’ve been a career lawyer for 30-50 years that’s not something you’re going to give up readily because it’s what you know.”

“That armour still exists .. We’ve seen a lot of people leave the profession over the last few decades because they couldn’t maintain that armour, it was too heavy.”

“We can be very good at our jobs but we can also accept that we are fallible humans.”

TOPICS

• Career alignment through values and purpose         
• Perfectionism in the workplace and the shift toward being our authentic selves    
• Cultivating the next generation of legal talent
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Alternative careers in 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 : Ann-Maree David

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

In this episode of On Record PR, Jennifer Simpson Carr goes on record with Francisco “Frank” Ramos, Partner at Clarke Silverglate and author of Confessions of a Latino Lawyer, about how to achieve diversity in the legal field.

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Frank is a Partner of Clarke Silverglate, where he practices in the areas of commercial litigation, drug and medical device, products liability and catastrophic personal injury. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and is listed in Best Lawyers in America for his defense work in product liability matters. Frank has been with Clarke Silverglate for virtually his entire career. He has tried to verdict personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability, and inverse condemnation cases. As a certified mediator, Frank has resolved numerous matters through alternative dispute resolution. 

Frank is an ambassador for the Firm’s mission of leadership and service. He has been President of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association and the 11th Judicial Historical Society and has served on the boards of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, Defense Research Institute, Florida International University’s Alumni Association, Florida International University’s Honors College, Parent to Parent of Miami, Miami-Dade Defense Bar Association, Legal Services of Greater Miami, and Florida Christian School. He serves as a mentor to countless young lawyers and law students through his publications, social media posts, presentations, webinars, and his “coffee chats.” Frank has written 20 books for lawyers, edited five books for lawyers, and has written over 400 articles for lawyers and business professionals.

Frank’s dedication to young lawyers is exemplified through his development of a Deposition Boot Camp and Art of Marketing Program for the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, an invitation-only defense organization that handpicked Frank for membership just eight years into his practice. Frank’s daily practice pointers and business tips on LinkedIn have over 55,000 followers and 5,000 friends on Facebook.

In his spare time, Frank enjoys writing, reading science fiction, and listening to his two sons, David and Michael, perform classical and jazz music.

Tara Hastings is a self-described sports fanatic, that is, she’s a professional spectator. So a role as Senior Counsel at Cricket Australia was in many ways a dream job.

But Tara’s career is built on variation and versatility, whether it’s in high viz at a gas plant or perusing supermarket shelves understanding the finer details of breakfast drinks. (That’ll make more sense later!)

Tara shares her career path overseas in a global business and then home again, with all the possibilities that have opened along the way.

And she’s candid about the pros and cons of working in the sports industry where everyone is passionate about the game.

“The risk is that you fall in love with the glamour of sports law. It is for the most part, just like working anywhere else.”

“For me, what I am most passionate about is being an in-house lawyer .. you have to be prepared for everything.”

“You have to continue to believe in yourself .. you’re never going to get it right all the time, no-one does.”

TOPICS

The UK experience and making your way home again

Finding your fit -  in-house or private practice

Developing a gut instinct 

Pros & cons of working in a field of passion like sport

Versatility and adaptability when changing industries 

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 : Tara Hastings

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

Produced by Bern Young

Joanna Brand is a true global citizen, born in Brazil, she’s lived in Trinidad, the United States, the Netherlands and Australia.

Her time at Duke University in North Carolina and later, Harvard Law School was punctuated by the sudden and tragic death of her father, a loss which continues to resonate as she weighs up some big questions.

Her approach to networking matches her thoughts on board positions - it’s not simply who you know, it’s about trust and who can vouch for you.

“Networking can be a dirty word but I’d say the last 6 or 7 jobs I’ve got were not advertised .. how do you stay front of mind for people but in a way that’s authentic?”

“You run with someone who’s faster than you, you can run faster so I like being the dumbest person in the room .. because that’s how you learn.”

“(Recognising your mortality) it starts to tip your decision making about how you want to spend your time and what’s important - so they’re big questions.”

TOPICS

Breaking into boards - your place in the collective

Networking with authenticity

Harvard Law and the US college experience

Matching your values alignment - it’s not always what it seems

The career trajectory - when isn’t it onwards and upwards?

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 : Joanna Brand

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

Produced by Bern Young 

The typical career progression for a barrister involves admission to the bar after paying your dues as an instructing solicitor.

Margo Harris is not your typical barrister.

Her work in-house, both in the highly specialised field of maritime law in London and as a generalist in Australia, has given her a depth of knowledge that is, without a doubt, an extra tool on her belt.

It’s not how she planned her career, because Margo never had a business plan for her career.

Her move to the bar at a later stage in her life was the new challenge she craved and the opportunities that followed, include ticking off roles she’d only ever dreamed of.

“I was wanting a change I wanted to do something different as a new way of refreshing or finding a new challenge”

“As a young solicitor I thought wouldn’t it be marvelous to work at the United Nations and how sexy that would be but how thrilling would that be to meet all those people from all over the world .. I just thought, I’m just a kid from the bush, as if I’d get a look in.”

“You can never have too much experience and whatever ghastly job someone asks you to do, instead of thinking how ghastly is this? Think about what I can learn from this.”

TOPICS

Specialist versus generalist

Women at the bar, do they get fewer briefs?

The overseas experience - an Australian lawyer abroad and the return ticket

Networking and finding the next brief

The role of chance in career plans 

Transition from solicitor to barrister

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 : Margo Harris 

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.

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.

How many people can honestly say they feel confident walking into a dangerous situation, knowing they have what it takes to get it under control? That was Carly Traeger in a former life and she loved every moment of it. So why did she walk away from her dream job to become an employment relations lawyer?

A career path isn’t a simple linear journey. There are pressures you can’t foresee and hard decisions you have to make. 

In this conversation Carly talks a lot about confidence. She talks about having it, losing it and finding it again. She shares some of her greatest joys and her toughest times, in search of the secret formula to being a better wife, a better mum and a better lawyer.

TOPICS

Mid-career exit points for women climbing a career ladder and pursuing a family

How do firms better manage a working parent’s career progression

Transition points and transferable skills

Redundancy meets opportunity, dreams meet reality, hard times meet courage

“I didn’t want that label, I didn’t have a mental health Issue. I was just someone who’d worked really hard and overdone it and was just exhausted and emotional.”

“My experience was not unique, it was actually quite common and everyone has their different ways of getting through it.”

“To be comfortable and confident in the advice that you’re giving .. you need to be able to back yourself.”

“I learnt great interview skills, how to ask questions and keep asking questions and that silence, at times, is golden.”

“I learnt to be suspicious, very suspicious.”

This podcast tackles the topics of mental health and parenthood.  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 : Carly Traeger

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.

In this candid conversation with Alex Correa, Nyadol Nyuon talks about the complicated conversation of racial and cultural identity, earning your place through merit and the juggle of home and work while adding in media and community commitments. She talks about failure, success and finding the courage to speak out.

Born in an Ethiopian refugee camp, the daughter of a South Sudanese freedom fighter, she was schooled in a Kenyan refugee camp. As a teenager, she was inspired by watching the work of the UNHCR and knew she wanted to be a lawyer.

So what could Hodor from Game of Thrones have to do with Nyadol’s journey as a lawyer, from refugee camp to one of Australia's most influential women?

“I’d always known that lawyers would fight for justice, I never saw myself like my Dad picking up a gun, instead for me it was picking a pen and education.”

TOPICS

Managing a community profile with the day job and how the firm has helped

The partners whose words and actions have made a difference

Juggling the load of motherhood, lawyer, community advocate and commentator

Where to find inspiration and where to find strength

“There have been times when I’ve thought I just want to be a lawyer, I just want to put my head down, I don’t want to be trolled online.”

“I do believe a lot of us go to law school with a core belief of justice, sometimes they lose it along the way but I think the majority of us maintain it as lawyers.”

“The rule of law doesn’t make sense without a sense of fairness or justice.”

This podcast tackles the topics of racism and social justice.  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 : Nyadol Nyuon

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.