Three young talents took on senior responsibilities in different ways
More than just being good at “lawyering”, this year’s recently elected Rising Stars displayed strong initiative in furthering their careers by taking on leadership opportunities in various ways.
Holland Beckett associate Tim Conder decided he wanted to take a dive into the deep end.
“I wanted to have a really broad practice, but I also wanted to have a lot of on-my-feet experience and chances to do things for myself. I knew one of the partners in Tauranga, and I knew that if I came down here, I’d be thrown out of my depth, which is exactly what happened”, he shared.
Conder noted that having to learn to refine his skills in such an environment improved his skillset.
“I have had the opportunity to learn and become better by doing it. That’s been invaluable”, he said.
Meanwhile, MBIE senior legal technologist Megan Cucerzan was given oversight of a small team by the barrister she worked for.
“It was extremely small; my work was in international arbitration, and he was often away,” she recalled. “So, in order to keep things running with our 50 cases, in a small team, you have to do things to try and find a way forward”.
The time Cucerzan spent leading the small team led to her eventually becoming a seasoned leader at MBIE.
“I still work in a pretty focused team, and we’re the only people doing my particular work. So, we still have a little bit of flexibility to try and push things further,” she said.
Megan Cucerzan and Tim Conder were recognized as one of the winners of NZ Young Lawyers unveiled in the 2023 Rising Stars last week. See more here.
