Can you tell us about your career journey so far?

I completed an LLB in Trinity after my Leaving Cert.

What made you choose this course?

After finishing my undergraduate degree I went to Oxford and did a Masters in Law, graduating in 1991. I spent a year in Japan and travelling in Asia before joining Arthur Cox in 1992 as a trainee, one of only 3 in my intake.

Did you know anyone in the legal profession? What were your first impressions?

I had no family in law so it was all completely new to me and my family! I found it all a bit strange at the start but soon started to really enjoy the mix of work – I did a lot of corporate and tax work as a trainee and really enjoyed the problem solving aspects of the work. I qualified into the Banking team in 1995. At the time I actually wanted to qualify into either Tax or Insolvency but there were no jobs, and considering I am still in the Finance team, I believe it was a case of everything happens for a reason.

I made partner in 2000 and in 2019 I was appointed Chair of the firm.

How would you describe the role of Chair of the firm?

The role of the Chair of the firm is to represent the interests of the partners, who are ultimately the owners of the firm. My role as Chair is to make sure the partners are engaged and on board with any decisions made in the firm and I work closely with the partners and the Managing Partner in order to achieve this.

The role of the Chair is not a full time role so I also continue my client work. It varies depending on the time of year. It is never quite evenly balanced, sometimes it is close to a 50/50 split but at other times it can be busier on the client side, or in the Chair role.

What does it mean to you to be the first female Chair of Arthur Cox?

To be chosen by my peers to take on the role of Chair meant a huge amount to me and being the first female Chair is a special honour. When I joined the firm in 1992, there were no female partners so it is really inspiring to see the progress the firm has made.

I have been very fortunate to have excellent female role models in the firm from an early stage of my career. When I qualified I was lucky to work for one of the first female partners. I also worked with a partner in Banking who was promoted to partnership at 29 after having her first baby. Her success was inspiring and she instilled a lot of confidence in me through her support and mentoring.

Why do you think Arthur Cox is the best place for young lawyers to train?

I believe that Arthur Cox is the best place for young lawyers to train for a few reasons.

Firstly, we offer five rotations to our trainees. This gives our trainees the opportunity to try a diverse range of practice groups over the course of their traineeship. Trainees who have identified a type of work they enjoy have the option of completing complimentary seats.

Arthur Cox is a very entrepreneurial firm and a meritocracy. Young lawyers are given a lot of latitude early in their career which can be challenging but very empowering. There is a strong desire to try to involve our trainees and interns and to include them in the work of the firm. Our firm suits people who like a challenge and who strive to reach their full potential.

From an early stage of my own career, I saw how focused the firm was on retaining and developing top talent and has actively promoted diversity throughout my time here. The firm has always been very supportive and inclusive and has given me lots of opportunities.

While many things have changed since I joined the firm, one thing that has remained is the collegial atmosphere. Arthur Cox is not a very hierarchical firm. People at all levels are friendly and approachable.

Teamwork is at the core of everything we do in the firm. It is a very team based and collaborative culture and everyone is critical to the team.

There is no expectation that anyone has the monopoly on understanding things. The size and complexity of the transactions and cases we work on require multiple specialities working together to provide our clients with a solution.

Finally, the firm likes to challenge itself. Arthur Cox is over 100 years old and has done a decent job of evolving over that time, however, as a firm, we like to continuously improve. There is no doubt in my mind that we are the best we have ever been. The brand is as good as I’ve ever seen it and our people are as good as I have ever worked with. We are market leaders across all practice areas and our client base is better than ever.

The experience you get as a trainee or intern in Arthur Cox is second to none.

Why do you think the Summer Intern Programme is beneficial?

When I was in college, the Irish law firms didn’t offer summer internships but I did two summer internships in London. Doing the internships was an eye opener into the culture of the firms. I think the benefit of internships is more in how you experience the firm and its culture than the work. It is a great way to gauge whether you think you would like to work in a firm before you commit to a training contract.

The Finance group takes in a number of interns each year. Like the rest of the firm, we make a huge effort to involve our interns in real client work. Interns are invited to sit in on team meetings and client calls and to get involved in ongoing transactions. The type of work that interns get to do includes legal research and drafting. A big benefit for the interns is that they get to know the team they are assigned to, as well as people from other practice groups across the firm. They work closely with our trainees and through them get a real insight into what life as a trainee in the firm is like.

What would you like your legacy as Chair to be?

There are a couple of things I could like to leave as a legacy of my time as Chair. I am conscious that this is a caretaker role and I would like to leave the firm in a better place than I found it. I am focused on ensuring the continued success of the firm. At the moment we are firing on all cylinders and I want to lay the foundations to make sure this continues. This involves a relentless focus on our clients and how we deliver for them, looking at how technology can help us deliver for clients in a more efficient way, ensuring we train and develop our people to the highest standard and maintaining a focus on the medium term.

One of the things that has kept me in the firm over the years is the progressive, meritocratic culture. As a firm we have always challenged the status quo and ourselves and never rested on our laurels. I need to ensure that we continue to maintain and develop the culture of the firm, despite the unforeseen challenges of recent years.

I also want to continue to focus on diversity and inclusion. We have set ambitious targets for gender balance at partner level which I am confident we will meet, we have a well established LGBTQ+ network and have recently launched a race and ethnicity network. There is certainly more to do and, as with every aspect of the firm, we will continue to strive for excellence.