ELIZABETH CARROLL - IP AUSTRALIA

As the Chief Legal Counsel at IP Australia, I enjoy supporting innovation in the Australian community. I have led the legal teams of three Commonwealth agencies over the last ten years. Prior to moving in-house, I worked in private practice for a decade. I am passionate about the value of profession associations, contributing to the broader profession through my role as Vice President of the ACT Law Society. Currently I am the Chair of the ACT Law Society’s Government Law Committee and a member of the Australian Research Council’s Competitive Grants Review Committee. In 2016, I received the ACT Law Society’s Government Law Awards and I am a finalist in the Government Lawyer of the Year category of the Lawyers Weekly Corporate Counsel Awards 2020. In my spare time I love yoga, recently qualifying as a Level 1 Registered Yoga teacher.

By the end of high school, I had settled on a career choice as a lawyer, motived by a desire to help people and based on the encouragement of a teacher. I was inspired by the outstanding example of Dame Roma Mitchell, Australia’s first female Supreme Court judge, as well as less worthy legal television shows. Prior to this I considered various careers including ecologist, architect, heritage advisor and engineer. Interestingly, law has led me to work with all these professions!

I began my legal career in the Sydney office of Corrs Chambers Westgarth, specialising in planning and environmental law, until I moved to the Canberra office of Corrs as a Senior Associate. Looking back, I realise that I have been working my way up the tiers of government. I started out acting in local government planning disputes, then advised on State environmental and planning issues, and for the last fifteen years have advised the Commonwealth.

While working in private practice, I undertook three secondments to government agencies. I loved the ability to immerse myself in understanding my client’s business needs and work on projects for a public purpose. When the opportunity arose to set up the legal team at the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, it was too good to pass up.

I have been incredibly lucky to have wonderful mentors throughout my career. I am extremely grateful for the fantastic training I received as a junior lawyer. I always advise newly admitted lawyers to work where they will get excellent training as this is the foundation of the rest of their career. More recently, I have found the insights of senior leaders in the organisations I have worked for to be invaluable.

Although the benefits of mentoring cannot be underestimated, ultimately, I am guided by my own values and interests. My fundamental values of service and community are touchstones for my decision-making, big and small. My interest in science and creativity has also strongly influenced my career path. These factors have led me to work in client service roles for science-based agencies working for the public good. Leading the legal teams at IP Australia, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has given me the privilege of working alongside so many talented scientists and engineers. My earlier experience in planning and environmental law also involved working with experts in STEM disciplines. This has very much been a case of following my interests. Although I am best suited to a supporting role in the area, I find working with scientists, new ideas and creating solutions fascinating.

My values of service and community guided my decision to work as a government lawyer and my involvement in professional associations. Recently I have been able to take this to another level, developing a Pro Bono Legal Work Policy for IP Australia. As a member of the Australian Pro Bono Centre’s In-house Counsel Pro Bono Steering Committee, I am delighted to have supported the opening of National Pro Bono Target to government and in-house lawyers on 1 July 2020. IP Australia is a Foundational In-house Legal Signatory for the Target. In-house lawyers have so much to offer in this space and I encourage other teams to get on board.

As a lawyer, I have always obtained satisfaction from providing quality advice and service to my clients. In government legal practice, I enjoy the additional motivation which comes from working as part of a wider purpose to benefit the Australian community. In my current role, supporting innovation is exciting and requires me to explore new ideas. It is rewarding to lead a team working on cutting-edge projects, like TM-Link, an internationally linked trademark database. IP Australia not only supports innovation in the community but encourages us to be creative in our work. I love the opportunity this gives to explore new ways to support our clients and thrive in an engaging and exciting work culture. Having a fantastic team assists greatly with getting out of bed in the morning!

Wherever I have identified a potential drawback of in-house work, I have taken action to address it. Starting out in a small in-house team initially felt isolating, so I became active in professional associations. I yearned for a mentor, so I established the Australian Government Legal Network’s Legal Circles Mentoring Program. I went on to become the Chair of that organisation for three years, working to provide greater professional development opportunities and I have found the ACC to be a fantastic source of support. Every challenge has provided a wonderful opportunity for growth.

If I could give one piece of advice to my younger self, it would be “follow your heart and forge your own career.” There are many unhappy people out there trying to live up to the expectations of others. It is amazing how doors open when you pursue what you believe in. On a more practical note, as a mother of two primary school-aged children, I encourage anyone who is juggling work and family to get all the help they can. They are not joking when they say, “It takes a village to raise a child.”