A movie Ellie Wilson can't even remember led her to a career in law
Ellie Wilson was a crossroads when she watched a movie that had a lawyer in it over a summer break. She can’t even remember the title, but she does remember that it set her on her career path.
Today, the 2023 Elite Woman and Govett Quilliam special counsel is getting ready to become a partner, enjoying nature in Taranaki, and keeping abreast of developments in legaltech and pricing models in the legal profession. In this interview, Wilson talks helping to build a health law practice at the firm, the threat of burnout faced by family and criminal lawyers, and dealing with major change.
What made you choose a career in law, and what's your favourite part of the job?
My selection of law is not the most romantic or inspiring story – I was at a crossroads with the courses I had started in my first year, and was wanting to change. I went to a movie over the summer break (I can’t even tell you what it was), but there was a lawyer in it, and she was incredible. I enrolled in law following, and the rest is history.
It’s fair to say I don’t necessarily recommend this as a method of choosing your career – luckily it has worked out and I’m delighted to have found a job I so enjoy, almost by chance. My favourite part of the job is easily the problem-solving elements, and being able to walk alongside everyday people facing some of the biggest problems of their lives. Being able to help in these circumstances is incredibly satisfying.
What is going on at the organisation? Are there any new programs and initiatives that you’re particularly interested in?
Govett Quilliam is ever expanding and changing – I feel truly lucky to work in such a progressive environment. A recent initiative is the move to value pricing for our family law team. This is a fixed-price model which is widely used in firms across Australia. We trialled this in 2023 with incredible feedback from both clients and staff who have enjoyed the greater transparency, predictability and efficiency obtained from moving away from the billable hour. This is now in trial across other areas of the firm, which is great to see.
What tech-related initiatives adopted by the organisation, if any, are you most excited about?
As with most firms, there is a need to be both optimistic and realistic about the expansion of legaltech, and how this will impact on firms in the future. As a result, the usual AI-based processes are a focus, and we continue to explore how best to leverage these tools for the benefit of our clients and teams.
In addition to this, Govett Quilliam has maintained its partnership with Quantate Compliance – a statutory compliance software which assists in-house teams to manage and monitor their obligations with regard to statutory compliance. We had become increasingly aware of the onerous approach required by ensuring statutory compliance. Quantate Compliance has been designed with this in mind. The end product is simple, straightforward, and tailored towards ensuring the “right touch” for in-house teams.
What has been your proudest accomplishment in the last year or so? Or what’s the biggest lesson you learned in the past year and what advice can you give fellow lawyers about it?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned over the last year is to roll with change while finding what grounds you. The move to Taranaki from Wellington, and to continue building a health law practice in a new firm has not been without significant road bumps.
In these times of major change I’ve learned it is incredibly important to slow down, and appreciate that the adjustments will take some time. There’s a gardening adage about trees being transplanted – “first year sleeping, second year creeping, third year leaping”. As I enter my third year in the region, I can see this definitely applies to people too! In the process, I’ve discovered that Taranaki is such a playground! It’s a rare place where you can nip up the mountain, and then cool down with a quick ocean swim in the same day. It’s an incredible asset when dealing with the stresses of work, parenting, and life.
What should the profession focus more on?
Enabling lawyers to work smarter, rather than harder. While there are already some great developments in this area, there remains a focus on the long-standing measure of time-based billing to measure performance. Alternate methods, such as outcomes, innovation and value added, are going to be important in order to maintain lawyer well-being, stay ahead of the changes in technology, and ensure that we are in the best position to continue serving our clients and communities.
What are the challenges you expect in your practice, and in the business of law in general, going forward? What challenges are particularly pressing in the country’s legal industry?
There are a few. I’m sure all lawyers are aware of both the opportunities and threats that come from AI. As with anything that impacts how we work, we need to give real consideration to how we provide service and value to clients, how we fairly charge for this, and how we consider the wider impacts on our profession and its reputation more generally.
In addition to this, it remains evident – at least in the regions – that our family and criminal lawyers are under significant pressures. The risk of burn-out in these high through-put areas of law is clear and pressing. While the profession has admirably focused on “wellness” since the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s clear that more practical and long-standing change is required order to protect and retain talent in these areas.
It’s likely that the solution lies somewhere between these two challenges.
What are you looking forward to the most in the coming year?
There’s a lot to look forward to – but the standout moment at this point is my entry to the GQ partnership, commencing 1 April (NZLS approval pending). The firm is one I’m incredibly proud to stand behind, and I can’t wait to see what more we can build.
If you weren’t in law, what do you think you’d be doing as a career?
So many things! DOC ranger, speech and language therapist, dog handler, doctor…The list goes on. Maybe a trip back to the movies is required…
