The Lowndes Jordan partner calls for greater representation at the top levels
While the legal profession has made significant strides in the areas of diversity and gender parity, Alicia Murray believes that there is more to be done to celebrate diversity and bolster representation, particularly at the top levels of the profession.
Earlier this week, the Lowndes Jordan partner talked about working on a major case while pregnant with her daughter; in the second half of this interview, Murray touches on the current lack of women appearing in senior courts and why clients want strategic allies, not just advice-givers.
What should the profession focus more on?
Clients want more than legal advice. They want strategic allies who understand their business, their world, and their goals. Our profession thrives when we listen, learn, and devise solutions to address the issues being faced by clients. Law is ultimately a service profession, and sometimes I think it can be easy to forget that.
Lowndes Jordan stood out to me because of the commitment to client relationships and service while still providing outstanding legal advice.
What challenges are pressing in the country’s legal industry?
Law has changed for the better in many ways. But one challenge still with us is a lack of diversity, particularly within the top levels of the profession. Progress has been made, but we’re not there yet. The recent NZBA report on appearances in the senior courts was deeply disappointing (if unsurprising) in the lack of women appearing, particularly in commercial cases.
All levels of law should reflect our wider community, and businesses can, and do, benefit from diverse perspectives. They add value to discussions and improve the quality of work for clients. We must keep pushing for a profession that invites everyone in and celebrates each person’s unique skills and contributions.
What are your thoughts on new technology and its impact on law?
New technologies provide new tools or ways in which to complete work and can create efficiencies and productivity gains; for example, search technology made locating relevant court decisions much easier. AI must be similarly viewed as a tool, with potentially significant benefits.
However, we need to be careful not to lose critical thinking and fact checking skills. These skills will still be key to providing quality advice to clients.
What are you looking forward to most this year?
I’m excited to get my feet under the desk here at Lowndes Jordan, working with great colleagues and great clients. I am looking forward to going back to a broader range of litigation work (including insolvency) and getting back into the courtroom, while continuing to provide competition law advice to clients.
