Georgia Dawson of Freshfields in conversation with Dana Denis-Smith Inspirational #WomenInLaw Awards

Sure. Well, thank you very much for the invitation, and I'm sorry I can't be with you in person, and thank you for accommodating the video interview when I know you've had to start very early for me. I grew up north of Sydney by the beach, and my dad was a solicitor. Actually, he's just celebrated 50 years since his admission and still practices in the law. So I used to go in and out of his office quite a bit, loved the environment, loved hearing what they were talking about. He used to steal the biscuits from the cafe area in the office, and I think that was probably my first introduction to life as a lawyer. I still wasn't sure whether I wanted to be a lawyer, so during school I did some work experience and then spoke to the careers counselor at school, and she said, 'If you're not sure, then law is a great grounding for numerous different jobs, be that government, becoming a lawyer, going into teaching, journalism, etc.' So I decided to do the law degree and did a range of different part-time jobs during university, researching barristers' chambers, working in law firms, and ultimately fell in love with the problem-solving aspects of it, which is why I stuck with it and went into private practice.

Well, I've had a really varied and rich career, so that in and of itself I count as an achievement or certainly a privilege. I've had some fantastic successes for clients on either investigations mandates or litigation. Most of them are confidential, so I won't go into the detail, but there's nothing more satisfying than a happy client. Just yesterday we had a decision in one of our pro bono cases in the region, and to get a good result and see the effect it's going to have on somebody's life is probably one of the best moments of being a lawyer. Beyond that, being able to work in so many different countries and having that rich and varied career has been a real highlight. Just in the past year alone, my cases have been in places such as Papua New Guinea, Ghana, Kazakhstan, and then back to Asia in Indonesia. The opportunity to learn about new cultures, new legal systems, meet great lawyers, and help clients with their challenges around the world has been one of the things I've enjoyed most. Then the other thing I would add is the pleasure that comes with working with your teams, developing your teams, and seeing people come on and thrive in their careers, be that on the legal side or the business services side. Playing a role in mentoring and developing somebody else is probably one of the most rewarding parts of getting into a leadership position.

As a firm, we're focused on a range of different things, and we've structured them under three different headings to try and drive forward our diversity and inclusion agenda. I think that's a good roadmap for the profession more generally, if I could be so bold as to suggest, to help frame some of the debate. The three areas are around belonging, a real focus on inclusion and creating a workplace that is attractive to both men and women, which probably requires a reshaping of our workplace and our workplace cultures. That's the first area. The second is around engagement, creating a dialogue within the firm and in the communities in which we operate where we are trying to promote gender equality and have that become part of the mainstream dialogue, ensuring within the profession more generally and in our own firm that it's a top priority and part of the day-to-day conversation. The final point is around excelling, creating an environment where everybody can succeed, so we have the right structures in place to help support people progress through the organization, be it mentoring, sponsorship, or various different structures. So I think those three pillars, if we were able to consistently achieve them across the profession, would help drive change. Within each of those three areas, a lot of practical things can be done: from role models demonstrating there are a range of ways to succeed, not just one size fits all, through to tracking and monitoring progress and holding management to account for lack of progress if that is where we are. So I do think there is quite a lot that all leaders of organizations can be doing to drive change across the whole profession.

It's a very good question. It's interesting. Throughout the election, I was really just focused on the issues under debate within the firm. The election process provided an opportunity for a very open and vibrant discussion about where the firm is today and where we want to take it as partners over the years ahead. That was really rewarding and provided an opportunity to meet and debate with partners across the whole world in a way that doesn't arise in our usual day-to-day operations. So that was the primary focus. I didn't really think about the wider import of the election if I was to be successful. Even on the night when I got the phone call to say I had won, I was focused more on the privilege of being a custodian or steward of the firm and the significant responsibility that comes with that. It was really only in the 24 or 48 hours after that that the effect of the appointment on women and men, but women in particular within our own organization and in the legal profession more generally, really became apparent. A lot of interest, a lot of emails coming in from people across the world and across the profession, including many people I didn't know, pointing to the fact that this was hopefully going to send a message within the profession and lead to others moving into leadership roles as well. It's been an extraordinary couple of weeks, and the level of support and encouragement and wonderful messages from across the profession has been quite overwhelming.

Dad always has good advice for me. The wonderful thing is I think he has believed in me throughout my whole life. So when I said I was considering putting myself forward for the election, we talked through the pros and cons, and then he had absolute conviction right from the beginning that I would win, which is exactly what you want from a parent. Even if he was ultimately proven wrong, to have somebody believe in you like that makes a big difference to how confident you feel in trying new things. So I'm very fortunate.

I think I've been very lucky. Maybe part of it has been moving around the world and having the opportunity to work with so many different people. But given my parents have had a starring role in our discussion today, I probably have to start by saying my parents. Their focus on fairness, justice, trying to always do the right thing from childhood has shaped the way I at least try to approach my life, both as a lawyer, as a wife, as a parent. So I'd have to point to them as role models from when I was young through to now. On the professional side, many men and women have played different roles over my career in helping me see different aspects of what it means to be a lawyer, a leader, looking after a team. From some people you learn the patience of taking the time to explain a task properly and provide good feedback, which is unbelievably important for developing your teams. Other people show you how to balance family commitments and work in a way that is meaningful. Increasingly, I'm looking at those who are very good at managing their well-being, both mental and physical, and running that effectively alongside work, because for me personally and for the profession more generally, that's going to be one of the biggest challenges. Over the extended period of COVID, ensuring we are looking after ourselves and demonstrating to our teams that we are looking after ourselves for all leaders is going to be really important.

It's a top priority for me within our organization and to the extent I can, more broadly in the legal profession, to drive meaningful change and help ensure gender equality and diversity and inclusion more generally are at the top of the agenda in the profession. So it is top of the agenda. We have a fantastic diversity and inclusion team who will support us in a range of different initiatives so we can move from where we are today as an organization, which is not where we would like to be, to have better representation across the board within the firm. If we then look within our firm and within the industry more generally, I don't think there is a good reason for why we are where we are today. So if we all acknowledge that there's no good reason to be where we are, and we go back to those three areas I talked about – creating an inclusive workplace, a place where people can excel, and a good dialogue around change – then hopefully that will ensure all organizations recognize that the status quo cannot be maintained, and we can see meaningful change in the next five to ten years.

I think that kind of partnership is critical to driving change. I am constantly saying to our clients, in particular, please do make this a topic of conversation. If you are demanding change, then we will have to react to that. So to any clients who might be sitting at the dinner this evening and hearing this, please do be pushing for change across the legal profession, because I think your voices will be heard.

It's a good question. I've never reflected on that before. I think advocacy and public speaking is something that all of us, including myself, struggle with. The more practice you have, whether through your day job or through a role you hold, the better you become at it. So maybe that does give you the confidence to try for various roles where advocacy is required, including leadership roles. So you might be right, I've just never thought of it in those terms. But I think public speaking and having your voice heard is probably one of the areas that requires focus across diversity programs within organizations because it can make a difference to the success of women and other minority groups. So you might be right that this is an area we should focus on to drive through more change and bring people through to leadership. But I haven't focused on whether it specifically shaped me.

That sounds like a fantastic platform. I'll keep an eye out for it.

That would be lovely. I look forward to that. Thank you again for the invitation. It's been lovely to chat to you. Thank you so much.