Seasoned Artist

needed by a head chef to that of an early lawyer in practice.

What do you do to stand out or hold ground in the industry as a woman? For me “ standing out” isn ’t gender specific. There will be supporters and critics in any walk of life regardless of gender. I think it’ s about finding like-minded individuals who foster similar values to yours and are willing to support and promote one another in your collective efforts. We also need to be introspective and ask ourselves, what is our ultimate goal in “ standing out”? What is our purpose? What are we trying to achieve? Is there virtue in our efforts to stand out? I read a quote that said “ attach yourself not to a job but a purpose, as that is where true peace and happiness will be found. ” Finding purpose and meaning is one of the attributes of ‘flourishing’ in positive psychology.

How do you cope stress, pressure, and/ or feeling unmotivated? And hasn ’t the pandemic really tested us? The way stress affects us is a paradox. Too little leaves us feeling unmotivated and bored, but too much can result in us feeling anxious, on edge and even burnt out. The key is how we interpret stress. If we view stress as something negative to be avoided, we find ourselves suffering or ‘languishing’ as sociologist Corey Keyes put it. If we view stress as something positive to be embraced, we flourish. It turns out that instead of feeling inadequate in the face of anxiety these stress emotions become a signal that we are striving to reach our goals. The reality is that having a meaningful life, one that includes multiple commitments, goals and relationships will undoubtably result in stress. The more meaningful our lives are, the more stress we experience. Worrying about the future means that you are focused on building a better one.

Our mental health is something we need to be constantly checking-in on. If you look at stress from a ‘demands versus resources ’ perspective, you will then be able to implement healthy coping mechanisms to the stressful situation from your own personal resource toolkit. This might be exercise, taking your dog for a walk or even 5 minutes of mindfulness. It will be different for everyone. I’ ve recently taken up scuba diving and try to get down the Peninsula when I can for a dive. The main focus of diving in the early days is on your breathing. The breathing pattern you utilise underwater not only improves buoyancy and overall diving experience but also creates a more relaxed mind and body. Even the rhythmic sound of our bubbles as we breathe out contributes to a more relaxed and meditative state of mind. I find this helps to fill my cup and de-stress.

What would you change about our industry? If yes, why. If no, why not? I prefer to refer to it as ‘transformation ’ rather than change. We must acknowledge that our profession is constantly evolving and with rapid technological advancement, this is inevitable. We must not however leave behind the importance of legal ethics as the foundation of our system including our functioning as healthy lawyers. I often feel that legal ethics may have spent too much time focusing on the social role and function of the legal profession that it sometimes forgets the humanity of the lawyer themself. In this regard, my vision is that we reinforce how the individual lawyer can maintain their humanity and relationships whole exercising

Seasoned Artist

their public professional role. The experience of being a lawyer should not just be about individual wellbeing but should be about the wellbeing of the profession and the law as a whole.

Favourite movie that you believe accurately or effectively represents our industry? Or is your favourite depiction of the same. That' s a hard one! I have a number of favourite legal movies but none that are really accurate representations! Some favourites include: To Kill a Mockingbird (classic). I haven ’t seen On the basis of Sex but I hear it’ s fabulous! Always get a great laugh from my favourite legal series ‘Rake ’ and mostly recently ‘Fisk’ .

Do you have any professional tips to recommend to upcoming graduates? There seems to be a common-held view that the successful career path of a law student is defined by the amount of clerkships one secures or the graduate offers one receives. I know that this process can create a lot of anxieties and often, unhealthy competition. So you didn ’t get a clerkship? Sure, you may feel disappointed and undoubtably be hit with waves of negative selftalk. You ’ re human after all. It is important to remind yourself that a successful career doesn ’t have to be a linear progression to partnership. There may be twists and turns, lateral moves in your pursuit for “ what you want” . And what do you want? This is a question I ask my students all the time. Perhaps you want to work in the community legal sector, maybe you ’d like an inhouse role, you may even decide that the law is not for you. These formative years are about consolidating your values and working out “ what you want” . And that’ s going to be very different to what someone else will want. Don ’t compare yourself to others. The old adage “ comparisons are odious ” couldn ’t be truer. Find your purpose, use your influence, maintain your professionalism and integrity and do good for the world. And it is this virtue, that makes the law an honourable profession.

Are you currently involved in any upcoming workshops that may help our students, through your role in the industry? I have previously delivered interactive time management workshops to a number of LSS at universities as they relate to our productivity and our wellbeing. I was privileged to deliver the first of the mental health first aid courses to members at ALSA last year.

I am currently involved as a member of the International Bar Association (IBA) Wellbeing Taskforce charged with tackling the problem of poor mental health among the world’ s lawyers and in promoting policies to help to improve wellbeing within the legal profession. In 2020, the pandemic highlighted the strain on the mental health of lawyers around the world. This prompted the launch of a global project to address the mental wellbeing of professionals around the world. The key initial phase of the project consisted of two global surveys, one for individual lawyers and the other for law firms and other institutions, including bar associations, law societies and in-house legal departments. The interim results of the surveys have now been published and I am now garnering support from the wider profession to assist in sharing the findings. Phase two of the project will involve an analysis of the data in addressing the key issues with a view to create a set of internationally recognised best practice guidelines.