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After 18 years rising through the ranks of the firm she would eventually chair, Megan Jongebloed has a rare perspective on the leadership, culture, and strategy required to guide a growing practice.
When Jongebloed joined Cowell Clarke as an associate in 2008, the firm was a modest 60-person practice operating out of a single Adelaide office. Nearly 20 years later, her rise to chair has coincided with a period of significant growth and transformation for the firm.
On the heels of her reappointment as chair, Jongebloed told Lawyers Weekly she would never have seen herself as a partner or at the director level when she first started, “but the culture, the people, the client relationships [are] where I saw the opportunity”.
Jongebloed progressed from director to staff director, and then to chair in 2023, during a career that has been defined by her strong commitment to the firm’s people, collaboration with an “awesome team”, and a desire to maintain her client relationships.
After becoming a partner, Jongebloed went on parental leave but “was fully supported through that process”. When she returned on a part-time basis, Jongebloed stepped into a lead position and was given the chance to get involved in some of the firm’s management, “which I’ve always loved and is something I have a passion for”.
Alongside her chair responsibilities, Jongebloed maintains her position as director of the corporate and commercial team, where she has advised private and listed companies, start-ups, not-for-profit organisations, and clients in aged-care and retirement living.
The latter, which has kept Jongebloed especially busy the last few years, has been steadily growing. In just the last two years, the aged-care practice has experienced more than 100 per cent growth, reflecting the increasing demand from the sector and supporting the firm’s expansion as a full-service adviser for impacted clients.
During that time, Cowell Clarke has grown 60 per cent and has increased to 80 employees since opening its Sydney office in 2022.
“My practice is growing, so it’s not even just trying to keep it steady – we’re in a growth phase, and I am so proud of what myself and my team have achieved whilst I’ve held the role of chair, because it’s not always easy to get the balance right,” Jongebloed said.
“I’m proud of the growth we have achieved in Sydney and the calibre of people that we have managed to attract to the firm. I’m proud of the client relationships firm-wide, and the quality of the clients as well as the work, and that is reflected across all practices.”
Jongebloed added she continues to admire the firm’s commitment to culture and growth, which has not wavered since she joined. As a result, a lot of the senior leadership appointments have been Cowell Clarke employees who joined around the same time Jongebloed did.
On how she has managed each role simultaneously, Jongebloed said she has always been a “highly organised person in all aspects of my life, and that organisation has been really critical” to her success.
“One of the things I take pride in is my responsiveness to clients, and I didn’t want that to slip, and I knew a lot of them would like their relationship to be with me personally. I have essentially put processes in my practice to ensure my clients still feel I am responsive and they’re key and valued, notwithstanding [that] I have this other role.
“I think I have been able to demonstrate that once you have these key processes and you are organised and have a good team around you, you can do both,” Jongebloed said.
Jongebloed added that her longevity at the firm has also given her an edge. Having had the opportunity to see the firm from each rung of the ladder, Jongebloed said she can “relate from a team perspective and a people perspective to the different challenges each of the roles presents to you as a lawyer in our firm as you move through the ranks”.
“I think it gives me a unique perspective, and I think that’s something I get a lot of feedback from my team, and broadly the firm. I often hold conversations with a cohort of lawyers; I get them all together and have a chat and let them know what’s happening at the firm.
“They share some of their challenges, and I am able to relate and talk to them because I have been through all of that myself,” Jongebloed said.
The time spent fine-tuning her leadership style has also put Jongebloed in a “good position to move up to one of the most senior leadership positions in the firm”. That style, Jongebloed added, has continued to be “a very authentic and transparent leader” to her people.
“A key thing to me is being authentic and is being approachable and is being transparent. They’re the values I take [to] the table, whether I am chair or whether I am managing my team, and I think what I’ve learned is that leadership style really helps you to develop great relationships with your team,” Jongebloed said.
“They are part of the journey, they are the reason we’re able to succeed, and [it’s about] communicating that to them and making sure all team members feel part of something really special.”
Asked what advice she would give to lawyers hoping to follow in her footsteps, Jongebloed encouraged them to “always have a go”.
“One of the biggest, successful traits of a lawyer is someone who is really proactive and able to articulate what they want from their career. Obviously, there’s a strategic way in which to have these conversations, but really don’t be afraid to put your hand up and back yourself and be proactive,” Jongebloed said.
“That’s been one of the things that if I reflect on my time at Cowell Clarke, I’ve always been willing to put my hand up, have a go, and back myself. When you do that, it’s amazing what opportunities result from that, and having the self-confidence and value to say I can do this.”
