What is your role at Moulis Legal and what was your career progression to get to where you are now?
I am a senior associate in the Moulis Legal commercial property team. I joined six and a half years ago, after five years at a smaller local firm here in Canberra. I decided to make the move to Moulis Legal because of the calibre of its clients, who are global, far reaching and really interesting, stimulating matters as well as a great team to work with.
Where are you from and what ethnicity do you identify with?
I am from Davos, Switzerland and I identify the most as Swiss although I do have family that are German. On some days, my husband says I can be very German, and when it comes to time and punctuality, I am very Swiss.
I was born in Switzerland, and we migrated to Australia when I was 6. That was quite an interesting cultural shift in terms moving from the mountains to the mid-north coast, where you went to the beach as a part of school sport. When we first moved, I couldn’t speak English. I started kindergarten with no idea of what anybody was saying to me, but I had a fantastic support network in the local school I was attending, with some additional tutoring to help me get me up to speed with everyone else.
Do you believe that culture, traditions and customs impact the business and legal space and how so?
Yes, I believe that they have a huge impact on the legal space and the way that we work. Where you come from has a deep impact in how you see the world and what is important to you and how you address issues of concern, problems or even just general matters. Often having some cultural understanding can result in a better outcome or can result in different ideas, creative solutions and working together.
Personally, I think it has helped me understand that there is always a different perspective and a different way of doing things. Then in the same way, understand when the Swiss part of me manifests itself in terms of following strict deadlines and times, which is good for property transactions!
In your role at Moulis Legal and over your entire legal career, what challenges have you seen in the diversity space and how do you think we should target this area within the legal industry?
When I started out in commercial property and law, the biggest challenge was that there weren’t many females in this area. However there has been a huge shift in the industry over the last 5 years where there are women’s law associations, women’s property group, construction and that has led to, at least from my perspective, more junior lawyers coming through and it not being the norm that if you’re in this industry, you are male. It has also created a space where people, if they want to become a lawyer in the property space, they can and there are no barriers to getting there. I think there has been a great shift in the industry, but I think that comes from a shift in the construction industry generally and that’s flowed through the legal part of the property world.
With your experience, what does diversity and inclusivity in the workplace mean to you?
To me, diversity and inclusivity means understanding and taking time to listen and really hear what your colleagues have to say. Valuing their opinions and generally treating others with respect. Sometimes, it’s a matter of asking some more questions, if you think a perspective or an approach is quite different, I find asking more questions, delving into the why or the how or how they got to that position. That can then result in greater outcomes or better understanding of how that person thinks and works in terms of collaboration. Especially Moulis Legal’s flat hierarchy, no matter what your role is you are included in the high-level discussion and your views and suggestions are valued.
