What most attracted you to the flexible work model that Juno offers?
I thrive on variety, change and challenge in both my professional and personal lives. Juno’s flexible working model provides an opportunity to work across a broad range of sectors and industries (both private and public sector) which keeps me challenged and interested in my work. It also allows me time to pursue my personal interests and structure my work around those and my kids without feeling like I’m constantly struggling to fit it all in.
After being a private sector in-house lawyer for so many years, how are you finding your current role in the public sector?
My skills as a lawyer transfer pretty seamlessly between the private and public sectors but the public sector certainly presents its own nuances. There is law relevant to my role at MFAT which I haven’t had to consider before like various international conventions and some domestic statutes so I’ve had to upskill in some new areas pretty quickly. The political dimension of the work has also taken some getting used to when previously my clients' drivers have been principally about maximising shareholder returns. It has been a welcome challenge moving into a such a dynamic environment with a global presence and reach. In addition, the work has been novel and topical and I’ve been fortunate to work with a great team of really smart and dedicated lawyers.
Can you tell us about your favourite part of your job?
The best thing about my job is the opportunity to see inside so many different organisations. From working with the incredibly talented prosthetics makers while at Weta Workshop to providing legal support for vaccine donations to Pacific countries at MFAT, I feel like no two days are ever the same in my work. I’m lucky to have been exposed to so much variety across four very different industries in my three years as a Juno Lawyer.
What do you feel contributes to a great Juno client engagement for you and for the client?
Communication, openness and trust - just like in any relationship. A great client engagement is based on open and honest communication from both sides and a willingness to be flexible about how and when that work gets done. I’ve found that having a 'can do’ attitude allows the client to hand over matters with the confidence of knowing they’ll be taken care of which helps lighten the client’s workload and that’s always a good thing! Like any good lawyer/client relationship, keeping the channels of communication open also ensures a ’no surprises’ culture which helps build trust. I also think it’s really important to just be the kind of person that people enjoy working with too.