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Where workplace culture was once treated as a secondary concern in legal teams, often sidelined in favour of billable targets and performance metrics, one legal leader now stresses that it has become a fundamental driver of high-performing teams – not a nice-to-have.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, Danielle Nahum, ANZ head of legal, shared that workplace culture can no longer be viewed as a nice-to-have or secondary concern for legal teams, arguing instead that it sits at the heart of sustained high performance, with culture and legal excellence now “inextricably linked”.
Reflecting on what good culture really looks like within law firms, Nahum explained that its foundations are deeply human, revealed not through mission statements or corporate values plastered on office walls, but in the way people treat one another when the pressure is on.
“Good culture, to my mind, is quite human at its core, right? It’s the combination of how people feel and how people behave when they’re working together, particularly under pressure,” she said.
Rather than being defined by policies, perks, or carefully crafted slogans, Nahum described culture as something experienced through genuine connection, mutual respect, and a willingness to invest in relationships that go beyond purely transactional interactions.
“It’s where people come together to genuinely connect, not just in a transactional way, but when there’s a sense that people like each other and respect each other and are willing to invest in those relationships and culture when it’s good,” she said.
So, why is it so important for legal leaders to prioritise and embed it as a genuine leadership focus?
Nahum expressed that a strong workplace culture is directly linked to performance and outcomes, arguing that while legal excellence is often measured by technical precision and efficiency, it is the environment in which lawyers operate that ultimately determines whether those standards are consistently met.
“At its best, people are motivated not because of external pressure alone, but when the environment itself is energising, and it’s something that propels you forward and makes you want to do good work because you care about the work and the people that you’re doing it with,” she said.
While approaches vary between firms and legal leaders in how strongly they prioritise culture, Nahum shared that there is now a clearer and more consistent focus on building safe, kind, and positive workplace environments.
“Look, in my experience, and obviously it varies, and it varies across organisations, and it varies within organisations, but I think that these days, there is a good focus on having a good, safe, and kind culture,” she said.
She explained that the idea that leaders must choose between maintaining a kind workplace and driving excellence is increasingly outdated, arguing instead that the two are “inextricably linked” and that “it’s almost impossible to have one without the other”.
While acknowledging this has not always been the case, Nahum pointed to how good workplace culture is now widely recognised as a key enabler of excellence, describing it as the factor that “lights the fire” of high performance by driving stronger engagement across teams.
“I think across the board, good culture is increasingly valued and seen as an enabler for excellence. As I kind of like to put it, good culture or engagement lights the fire of excellence,” she said.
