This is Allens

I was attracted to law because of the prospect of working with a range of companies, and learning about a wide variety of sectors and industries. I have always enjoyed the combination of skills needed to be a commercial litigator, and the different people and subject areas you get to know during the course of a case.

My specialisation in ESG came about as the result of a research placement I did with the United Nations. I had already done my training to become a litigator when I went over to the US. Working with an international team, I was struck by how dynamic the companies we teamed with were in engaging with impacted communities and other stakeholders. It helped me put litigation in the broader context of the grievance and remedy ecosystem, and made me think about how risk mitigation begins well before reaching the courtroom steps.

That research placement was what set me on the path to where I am today; it helped me realise that a litigation practice that incorporated an ESG specialism was an option. It's also how I ended up at Allens. Through the placement, I heard about the work of Rachel Nicolson, who was also involved in the project and started the Business Human Rights practice at Allens. When, later on, I was moving to Australia, I researched firms with an established presence in ESG and came across Allens. I saw Rachel was one of the partners leading the charge and that was it for me. I actually think I only applied to Allens – which has turned out to be a great decision.

One thing that has stood out to me about Allens is the impact of the firm's values – we really live them. We refer back to them often, and I think that makes for a great culture. I really thrive when I'm working with my clients and colleagues as a team, and our values encourage those kinds of relationships.

The Allens culture has been critical to me in developing my practice. I've worked with different parts of the firm to help set up our ESG Centre of Excellence. Given the breadth of subject matter, from climate to biodiversity, to corporate crime, this has been a truly cross-disciplinary effort, and our culture of collaboration has enabled it to happen.

Collaboration is also how we meet client needs in what is a rapidly developing space. We aren't just engaging with legal teams but take a multi-stakeholder approach, working with compliance, sustainability and procurement, among others. Clients expect us to be thinking about our advice in the context of their business, and in a way that is aligned to their commercial and strategic goals. Being able to tap into our global network through Linklaters is also of great value, allowing us to bring the best multi-jurisdictional expertise to our clients.

Over the course of my career so far, I've seen a number of evolutions – from corporate responsibility to sustainability, and now ESG. We are also seeing novel strategic litigation, arbitration and other forms of dispute resolution. This area of law doesn't stand still for long and I'm excited for what comes next.