If you’re going after a promotion or looking to get on the track for partnership (or whatever), one of the best pieces of advice I can give you is…

DO the job before you ask for it. 

Making an investment in you before they know whether you can deliver, is a big risk to the business … not to mentio...

What does a ‘successful’ career mean to you?

When I was a junior lawyer, I knew EXACTLY what it meant.

It was what the legal industry told me it was. 

It meant qualifying as an associate at a ‘good’ firm, performing ‘above class’ then getting on the partnership track as soon as humanly possible. ...

What’s your business development process?

How do you originate and grow work for yourself or your firm? 

I ask because lots of my clients are sure they don’t have a ‘process’. 

They tell me they just do things whenever they remember or have the time. 

Maybe they go to some firm events, the odd c...

The problem with imposter syndrome is….

Even if we understand the concept - i.e. some people believe they are frauds, when objectively, they’re not….

Lots of us don’t recognise ourselves in that category. 

We still think that WE are the ones who actually ARE frauds. 

We’re the ones who have mana...

What comes to mind when you think of the word ‘expert’? 

Would you describe yourself as one? 

If you’re not an expert in your field, who is? 

I ask because it blows my mind how many experienced women lawyers DON’T consider themselves experts in their field. They have years of experience working f...

If you’re struggling with self-doubt or imposter syndrome at work. 

I have something to offer. 

Stop taking your thoughts so seriously.

Look, our brains are our biggest asset.

And they're on our side

BUT… 

There’s still some crazy s**t going on in there. 

Remember, the job your brain takes MO...

Do you know the difference between a sponsor and a mentor? 

Of course, these things are all just made up, but given the terms are used by firms these days, I want to give you a word of caution.

By my definition:

• a mentor is someone who gives you the benefit of their experience. They give you ad...

Do you remember those boys you used to know, who had some swagger? 

On nights out, they would lean coolly against the bar, survey the scene, and say …  

“I got options”.

To be honest, I wasn’t convinced they had as many options as they thought…  

But still… 

They believed it. They felt good. Th...

Do you know what reputation you have at work? 

Will it help you get to where you want to go? 

I ask because I think as junior lawyers we build a certain reputation, but I’ve seen it start to backfire on women once they reach a certain level. 

Here’s the thing I want you to watch out for. 

Be car...

NUMBER ONE  

Going into the review without an agenda of what YOU want to accomplish.  

Do NOT rely on your boss to come up with the agenda.  

In my experience, the most useless reviews are where neither side has done any prep, so it’s just a random chat about whatever comes to mind. The second mo...