TressCox Lawyers.

When did you join that firm?

23 January 2012.

When were you made a partner of that firm?

23 January 2012.

Which firm were you at most recently prior to this?

I was with Freehills for more than 13 years prior to joining TressCox.

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What practice group are you with?

Banking & finance, which sits within the wider corporate & commercial division of TressCox Lawyers.

What has been the most significant change to your practice area during your career?

The GFC had an enormous impact on my work as a B&F lawyer, and not in an entirely bad way. I think that the whole of the banking sector, banking lawyers included, have been genuinely humbled by the crisis. It was a real wake-up call in respect of the dangers of overly complex structuring and has made us all re-focus on more of a ‘back to basics’ approach to our work.

What has been a major career highlight for you?

Moving across to take up partnership with TressCox in Melbourne, after more than 13 years with Freehills across Perth, Vietnam, Singapore and Sydney, has been a huge highlight. The move has given me the genuine opportunity to do what I have always wanted to do by growing my own practice, with the freedom to focus on the kinds of clients that I enjoy working with, in particular, overseas investors in Australia.

What do you like about being a lawyer?

I really enjoy the satisfaction of making our clients feel that they are well supported in achieving their commercial goals. With the nature of my work often being so transactional and time bound, successfully bringing a transaction to financial close can be a highly adrenaline-charged and stressful experience for a client, particularly if they are trying to navigate their way through an unfamiliar legal and regulatory framework. I really like being able to take some of the burden of that off them and make them feel reassured that they are in safe hands.

What do you find challenging?

The most challenging thing for me is finding enough hours in the day to fit in all that goes with building and running a practice, as well as keeping some level of balance in my life by maintaining personal relationships with family and friends. I think it is probably the most common challenge for every lawyer now because the expectations and demands of private practice seem to be ever increasing.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?

Work can be so frantic that my ‘down time’ tends to be relatively simple and quiet. I find myself making shopping days with girlfriends, nice dinners, movies or just a good book in the sun more of a priority these days.