After almost 40 years of practice, taking a "decent" break was a big deal for him
As a university student, Nicholas Cowie started out doing an economics and law degree. It took just one year of accounting and economic statistics to decide that law was the way to go.
Since then, Cowie has worked in top global firms like Allens and Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF); earlier this year, he made the jump to Addisons, where he is currently a partner in the real estate practice. In this interview, he tells Australasian Lawyer what he considers to be a significant personal event for him in the last year and talks the maturation of the legal profession.
What made you choose a career in law, and what's your favourite part of the job?
Choosing a career in law was partly a process of elimination. I took a combined economics and law degree at Sydney University, thinking degrees in accounting or law would provide good job prospects at the other end. However, one year of accounting and economic statistics was enough to redirect my focus to the law.
My favourite part of the job is getting to know my clients’ businesses and helping them solve problems in a way which enables them to implement their objectives.
What in your opinion has been the most memorable event of your career to date?
Making partner at Allens in 1998, HSF in 2016 and now Addisons are up there on the career highlight list. There have been many transactional highlights over the years of course (too many to mention).
Mentoring many junior lawyers and seeing them develop their skills and personal brand has also been very rewarding.
What in your opinion was the most important thing you got involved in over the past year?
Personally speaking, taking a decent break after nearly 40 years of practice was pretty important over the last year.
What’s one misconception you think people have about lawyers, and how would you correct that misconception?
Lawyers are sometimes seen as people who identify risks and raise problems, in effect getting in the way of a good deal. However, I think the profession has really matured over the past few decades so that most (good) lawyers are problem solvers, offering solutions tailored to business outcomes.
Saying that out loud (and of course actually doing it) consistently is the only way to change that perception. That is certainly how I like to work.
What challenges are particularly pressing in the country’s legal industry?
I think one of the biggest challenges the legal industry is facing is finding uses for AI to increase efficiency and reduce costs, whilst maintaining accuracy, quality of advice and client confidentiality. Whilst I don’t think AI will replace lawyers (yet), I do think it can help manage many low value tasks, making lawyers more efficient and enabling us to provide better value for our clients.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the rule of law worldwide?
There are many thoughts, but in the current environment, thoughts they will remain.
What are you looking forward to the most in the coming year?
Having spent a large chunk of my working life in large, international top tier firms, I’m looking forward to working from a platform that is smaller and more nimble, yet has the same strong focus on client success. The much leaner operating model at Addisons also means we can deliver value, direct partner access and the quality of product and excellence in client service that our clients expect.
