What made you decide to become a lawyer?
Other than the usual desire to argue a point with everyone and shows like Boston Legal (aged very poorly, I know), I like the fact that the law is not actually made up of rigid principles but rather can be moulded to suit particular circumstances, and that’s where we come in. Being a lawyer is not just memorising legislation and case law but it’s the application of those things to your client’s circumstances to obtain the best result. That process requires both logic and some creativity, which I think is pretty unique.
What do you think is a major issue facing your area of law?
I think there remains a level of distrust in the financial services industry following the Royal Commission that continues to affect insurers’ appetite to write those risks and also the affordability of insurance for those in that industry. Despite the efforts of industry associations to improve perception and implement measures to improve the quality of the services provided and implement more onerous professional standards, consumers are still pretty trigger-happy in making complaints when their investments go poorly.
What’s the best piece of advice (work or personal) you’ve been given?
I’ll probably sound repetitive, but there’s no such thing as too many questions or too much information before starting a project. Whatever “embarrassment” you might feel by asking questions will pale in comparison to that feeling we all get when work product misses the mark.
What do you enjoy most about working at W+K?
The people. I think what makes W+K special is that everyone is working toward the same goal, both professionally and culturally. It’s easy to find colleagues who are happy to share both the highs and lows of being a solicitor in whatever way you want.
What do you get up to outside of law?
Wrangling children while religiously watching the NBA between October and June each year.
Complete this sentence – if I wasn’t a lawyer, I would be…
A failed NBA podcaster.