What most attracted you to the flexible work model that Juno offers?
Juno’s founder Helen has great vision. She has developed a model that looks for great alignment between the needs of the client and those of the lawyer, recognising the two are not mutually exclusive.
I think over the past 18 months or so people have been re-evaluating what’s important to them. For me, I love practising in-house, working within and alongside the business, and I also wanted to be able to achieve more balance between work, family and other interests. The Juno model supports this really well.
As a Juno Lawyer you are given the opportunity to work with a range of great clients and legal teams, but can breathe in and out (so to speak) much easier than in a more traditional employment model. You are given more choice and can generally dial your hours up or down more easily throughout the year, from one engagement to another. You might choose to work full time, part-time, part-time for a period, or perhaps take some extended time off between engagements.
What is the most inspiring part of your job?
There are 3 main things.
Its being part of a team that is collectively working for NZ Inc, recognising the work being done and the outcomes being achieved by Juno’s clients.
Also, I feel a real sense of wanting to contribute to the success of the Juno team and Juno as a business. Juno has become a very successful business in a short period, and has done that by being progressive, collaborative, having great people, and genuinely placing as much importance on taking care of the individual Juno lawyer as it does on taking care of the client.
Lastly, it’s seeing that you are making a positive difference when working with a client.
What is your biggest challenge and how are you tackling it?
It’s not so much a challenge, but probably giving myself permission to truly embrace the opportunity I have at Juno to lead a more balanced life. That’s not about letting go of my own drive and work ethic, rather it’s about achieving the level of wellbeing that enables you to operate at your best over the long term, and, importantly, to be present for your family and friends.
What do you feel contributes to a great Juno client engagement for both you and the client?
As with everything, communication is key to both.
From my perspective, the client investing some time upfront to give you a good overview of the business or organisation, making you feel part of the team, providing feedback, and a great culture.
From the client’s perspective, feedback I’ve received on this includes:
- Clients really value being able to access senior lawyers who have had a breadth and depth of in-house and business experience. Lawyers who can quickly build rapport and gain credibility with people in the business.
- The Juno lawyer getting to know the business and the objectives and challenges of the business.
- Being available through thick and thin (supporting the client in the tough times builds trust and confidence).
- Providing improvement ideas on systems and service delivery.
- Juno’s slick engagement model is appreciated with Juno noted as being easy to engage with, e.g., the team at Juno HQ being very responsive to the client, quick to develop proposals, contracting electronically.