The Maddocks CEO shares how his experience working in London helped shape this philosophy
Last month, Maddocks partner Paul Woods began leading the firm as its new CEO. In a conversation with Australasian Lawyer just before he officially took up the reins, he shared key things he learned from his predecessor David Newman, including the need to balance approachability with being a manager – especially a manager of longtime friends.
However, apart from being Maddocks’ leader, Woods is also a construction and projects partner with the firm. Construction law found him “almost by chance”, he said, when he qualified at Deakins, Graham and James (now Norton Rose Fulbright) and became part of its construction law team.
He eventually travelled overseas, taking a role with Masons (now Pinsent Masons) in London in 2003.
“At the time, big London firms were looking for Australian talent”, Woods told Australasian Lawyer. “They didn't have enough lawyers to do their big work, and we were attractive because we were seen as well educated with good degrees and hard workers”.
Turbine engine supplier Rolls-Royce became one of his clients, and the experience of supporting the company was one that he said gave him “self-confidence and belief”.
“The transactions I worked on were typically three, four, five times larger than what I'd done in Australia”, Woods told Australasian Lawyer. “It was sink or swim – once [Masons] saw that you were smart and capable, they put you on a client account and gave you whatever supervision you felt you needed, but enough opportunity to be yourself and manage things and impress”.
This approach would wind up informing his mentoring philosophy when he came back to Australia after two and a half years.
“I learned that sometimes the best supervision and mentoring is giving a lawyer freedom to do things and learn on their own without suffocating them. That's been my style since returning to Australia and coming to Maddocks”, Woods told Australasian Lawyer.
He found that being calm, confident, clear and pragmatic are important traits for every Maddocks lawyer to have in working with clients.
“I've sat in enough board meetings with worried clients, enough mediations, enough meeting rooms at the end of trials with clients wringing their hands about the outcome, to understand that what they want from their lawyer is calm, confident, pragmatic and simply communicated advice. I'm going to be really trying to instill those qualities in all our lawyers”, Woods told Australasian Lawyer.
Woods' time working in the construction law sector has also shown him the importance of construction and infrastructure as a key industry in Australia.
“In this country there are a few industries that really drive the nation — land development, mining and resources, and construction and infrastructure. This country is growing, we've got a booming population, and we need places for them to live, roads to drive on, bridges, new airports”, he told Australasian Lawyer. “As CEO, I'll be keen to make sure we've got a strong and vibrant construction and infrastructure group nationally”.
