The sustainability and social impact partner also talks wanting to help the sector adopt tech
A court hearing determined the course of Megan King’s life when she watched a female lawyer conduct a cross-examination with such skill and confidence, her 12-year-old self knew she was going to become a lawyer too.
King has since made that dream come true and has gone on to conduct pro bono work, collaborating with Aboriginal legal services and going where access to justice is lacking. In the first part of this interview, the Gadens sustainability and social impact partner tells Australasian Lawyer about helping the access to justice sector adopt technology and appreciating "ordinary" days.
What made you choose a career in law, and what's your favourite part of the job?
When I was 12 years old, I attended a court hearing and watched a brilliant female lawyer question a witness for the opposition into admitting that his version of events wasn’t actually possible. I was so impressed by her way with words and confidence that I walked out of court convinced law was the path for me and didn’t look back.
Nowadays, my favourite part of the job is getting a positive outcome for a client, no matter how small it might seem in the grand scheme of things it often means the world to our pro bono clients.
What in your opinion has been the most memorable event of your career to date?
I’ve spent significant time working with Aboriginal legal services in very remote areas of Australia, and it has been a career highlight being able to take my legal skills and put them to good use in areas so desperately in need of lawyers.
What in your opinion was the most important thing you got involved in over the past year?
In my experience, Australia’s access to justice sector has been slower to adopt technology and AI in their legal service delivery, mainly due to a lack of resources. In the last year I’ve become a director in a small non-profit called the Access to Justice Technology Network, where we are working to try to bridge that gap and get community legal centres and non-profit law firms access to the tools and training they need to best serve their clients.
If you could relive one day in your life, which day would it be and why?
Life is always such a rush and busy, so rather than a milestone, I’d relive an ordinary day - quiet moments with my children as babies - appreciating how quickly they grow and change.
