Lawyer Monthly - Women In Law Special Edition

WOMEN IN LAW EDITION LAWYER MONTHLY 107 Why did you pick construction law? I was looking to specialise and knew that I wanted to focus on disputes and contract law. I was interviewed by a Partner who had specialised in construction law for over 20 years. He was incredibly inspiring due to his passion for his work, whereas others I met with seemed fairly jaded. It was on that basis that I had decided to give it a go and two decades later, I also have that same enthusiasm. What do you enjoy most about this sector? Construction is a unique sector that has a strong community and I enjoy working at the heart of an industry, which can be diluted when working in other sectors. For example, a lawyer doing property work or employment would be dealing with all sorts of businesses. The people that I have come across have always been enthusiastic and committed to their work and proud of their achievements. Whether you are working on disputes or setting up a contract, it always involves a huge element of teamwork – both within the firm and with clients – and sometimes their other external advisers. The nature of construction means that involvement can be very intense but also very rewarding and I personally feel more aligned with construction than the legal sector. Considering I initially only wanted to be involved in contract law and disputes, construction is a full practice. There are disputes, but there is also transactional work such as setting up and negotiating contracts. This gives huge variety and I have been involved in some very interesting, complex contract negotiations over the years. I enjoy the challenge that construction law offers as there are few easy wins and it often involves a range of academic, strategic and tactical work. Why would you encourage more women to consider construction? I cannot see why anyone of either gender wouldn’t want to work in construction! At Partner level, there are very few female construction specialists. However, I have seen a lot of women coming into the sector over the last 15 years and I look forward to seeing those women succeed in their careers. In my opinion, construction has longevity. Because of its complexity, I think it will be a long time before we see the bulk of the work being carried out by non-lawyers. The only other thing that I can say is that I think I have the best job in the world! I would advise those who may feel daunted by the terminology, number of contracts and technical nature of construction work that, in reality, it is all easy to get to grips with and it just adds to the interest. What is your day to day routine as a construction lawyer like? I think the good thing is that every day is different. With construction, new instructions often mean something needs to be dealt with urgently and this immediately disrupts anything you might have had planned for a certain day, but I enjoy the unpredictable nature of the job. I also like the way that this increases my productivity. Here at Shulmans, flexible working is encouraged. I like the office environment but I also enjoy the days where I am travelling and have to work from service stations and in my car occasionally! Some of the things that I have been doing this week include a meeting with a new client about an infrastructure project; an all-parties settlement meeting; a discussion regarding the resolution of a financial claim a quarterly Partners’ meeting and a committee meeting for the Constructing Excellence Yorkshire and Humberside Club. Q Q Q Q At Partner level, there are very few female construction specialists. However, I have seen a lot of women coming into the sector over the last 15 years “ “