Lawyer Monthly - Women In Law Special Edition

LAWYER MONTHLY WOMEN IN LAW EDITION 82 EMMA’S TOP TIPS BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND TRUST YOUR OWN JUDGMENT. Very early on in my career I was given a huge amount of responsibility for very serious cases and this equipped me to ‘think on my feet’ and take responsibility for my decisions. So, welcome any extra responsibility offered. DEVELOP YOUR OWN STYLE Don’t try to ‘network like a man’ if that doesn’t suit you – develop your own style and way of forming meaningful business contacts. You don’t have to attend golf days (unless of course you want to!) nor should you feel you have to be the last one standing at a drinks event. Be you – otherwise your marketing will be ineffective and exhausting! ACCEPT HELP This is not a sign of weakness. Very few successful people get to where they are by doing it all on their own. I have had a couple of amazing people throughout my career who I’d describe as ‘mentors’. They have believed in me, championed me and pushed me to do things I might not have done without their encouragement. KEEP UP TO DATE ON WHAT IS GOING ON Not just in law but in the world generally. Politics, economics and global events are impacting more and more on many different areas of law. Use the time on your commute into work to read or listen to the news and keep abreast of all the latest developments. The same lessons apply if you’re meeting a new client - read around their case, be aware of the trends in their area of business. Knowing something about their world will go a long way to ‘breaking the ice’ in your initial meeting. ‘LEAN IN’ To coin a phrase from a highly successful woman – ‘lean in’. This advice has to be aimed primarily at women with children. I truly believe that women should not give up on their career whilst their children are young. It will be hard but keep going, even if it’s part-time. Unfair as it may seem, taking just a few years out can set women back a decade in terms of career progression. The inconvenient truth is that women’s careers are generally on an upward trajectory at exactly the same time as many have children. Over 50% of solicitors at qualification are women, but things go downhill from there. At larger firms in particular, the latest statistics show that only 29% of partners are female. When I was offered a job at Byrne and Partners, it was an amazing opportunity to work on high calibre cases. My children were just 5 and 3 so it was a big decision. However, I was acutely aware that the ‘perfect job’ doesn’t often come at the ‘perfect time’ and I have never once regretted it. SHARE YOUR ‘DOMESTIC’ RESPONSIBILITIES AND SURROUND YOURSELF WITH A GREAT SUPPORT NETWORK. Many of my recent cases have involved travelling which I am able to do because my husband is just as capable as I am of ‘holding the fort’. Also, invest as much as you can possibly