Bill Papastergiadis OAM – Managing Partner, Moray & Agnew Victoria

How did you start down this career path?
Coming from a migrant family, opportunities to imagine a professional career were relatively limited. Fortunately, in year 10 my school suggested I undertake a work experience program at a law firm. I was sent to a mid sized law firm and assigned to an article clerk, Mark Kerr. Mark was charismatic, generous and interested in my life. He was then a footballer at the Carlton Football Club and leaving aside his mentorship, he also extended support in other aspects of my life. I was at the time recovering from ankle surgery from a football injury and I walked with a very distinct limp. He took me under his wing, took me to training at the Carlton Football Club, moved Wayne Harmes off the physio table (no mean feat given Wayne was an imposing and very well built footballer) and had the physio assess my injury and provide a detailed recovery plan. That level of empathy and kindness stayed with me. I devoted myself to ensuring I gave it all at the firm which led to the firm offering me summer employment with them during my school breaks for a number of years. This opened my eyes to a potential career in law.

What inspires you in your role/industry? Why?
As lawyers, we are in a service industry. And as a litigator, it involves managing the anxiety and stress of clients in arguably their most difficult experience with so much turning on an outcome. Helping people through these difficult times and providing an outcome that hopefully is satisfactory is immensely rewarding. At the same time, working in a large firm requires the development of interpersonal skills with your colleagues such that they have a positive and meaningful lived experience at work. This environment is critical to allowing our teams to then move into their family or social life without angst or anxiety. As I have gained years of experience and understood the difficulties I encountered as a young lawyer dealing with prejudice and positional stratification, working with younger people at all levels to ensure they are respected and made to feel welcome is also very rewarding. To play a small part in the development of another young persons professional life is incredibly satisfying.

What's your approach to customer service that separates you from the rest?
As we enter a digital and rapidly developing AI world that will impact the legal profession, our capacity to relate with other people and develop strong bonds is critical to any lawyer’s success. Empathy and a commitment to forthright and efficient advice will be a defining characteristic of those that will excel in this new legal world. Building relationships, connecting people and creating an environment which is positive and effective is fundamental to this. Our customers must feel that they can rely on us, that we care about them, and we will be with them in this difficult journey in what is often a foreign environment for many customers. Conveying this with sincerity and meaning is what separates us and also will help define our client relationships going forward. People make a difference and we must never forget the importance of nurturing this skill in people management.

How do you innovate and stay ahead of industry trends?
A broad network of personal and professional relationships is an essential part of understanding and learning about trends in our industry. Our industry is not isolated from all other sectors in our economy and society, and hence being part of community groups, industry groups, government bodies and tertiary institutions helps develop a broad understanding of movements not only in our society but equally within our industry. Participation in these groups is fundamental to the development of personal skills one needs to excel, but also allows us to learn from other respected leaders from different walks of life. Quite often these people outside our industry can offer simple and efficient insights and understandings of what lies ahead. We cannot underestimate the need for working with people from all walks of life to understand other's perspectives whether it’s from corporate groups through to newly arrived migrant reference groups. I’ve benefited significantly from my role as Commissioner of the Victorian Multicultural Commission at work where I have worked closely with community leaders as part of Regional Advisory Councils where down to earth and on the ground lived experiences are shared. I’m in awe of these people and their contributions to our society.

What is the toughest challenge you've faced in your role? How did you overcome it?
The role of a managing partner is one that requires one to navigate challenges on a daily basis. One of the toughest challenges has been to help build a work environment that inspires those around you and allows them to excel in this chosen profession. Standing beside our practitioners in difficult times in matters that may not have gone the way we would have wanted, is central to dealing with the innate need of many lawyers for achieving perfection. We occupy a world that is clearly imperfect and navigating this in terms of outcomes and expectations at all levels is challenging.

What are some of your goals for the next 5 years?
Develop opportunities for our young lawyers in a fast changing legal market is a critical goal. This is a complex task and requires understanding the levers of our professional expertise and existence. Those of us that are open to change and innovation will ensure our firm and our lawyers will continue to prosper.

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Moray & Agnew is a leading national law firm of over 800 people, including over 110 partners. We serve our domestic and international clients from offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Newcastle, Perth and Cairns. Built on a solid history in insurance law, client demand has guided our growth into commercial litigation & dispute resolution, construction & projects, corporate & commercial, government, property & development, and workplace legal services. We are an established law firm able to leverage the best of our heritage brand with evolving best practice to consistently deliver service excellence for our clients.