What do you think makes DLA Piper stand out as an employer or as a law firm?

DLA Piper combines a truly global platform, with a collaborative and supportive culture. Other law firms might have one of those two, but very few have both. From the London headquarters on down, this is a place that encourages and facilitates cross-border opportunities and teamwork, while also placing real emphasis on supporting staff to be the best they can be professionally and personally. In particular, I'm very proud of the efforts the firm makes to support diversity, equality and inclusion both inside the firm and in broader society, including our programs providing flexibility to working parents and other caregivers, and our significant global pro bono effort.

Tell me what you enjoy most about working at DLA Piper.

I really enjoy the work that I do in the energy and natural resources sector – it's varied and aspirational work, seeking to make a positive contribution to society and communities, and at the same time it is often work on 'real life' projects, that I can visit or at least see from a car as I drive past (or from a plane as I fly over). But the thing I most enjoy about working at DLA Piper in particular is the people I get to work with – exceptionally smart, talented, thoughtful people who are always hard-working, but who are also down-to-earth, enjoy a good time, and are there for each other when it gets tough. 

What’s been your most memorable experience at DLA Piper?

In 2018 and 2019, I had a key role advising our long-term client the Government of Timor-Leste on the implementation of its Maritime Boundaries Treaty with Australia – a landmark treaty that resolved a 45-year impasse between the countries and that finally allowed Timor-Leste to realise its sovereignty with Australia. The role was very complex, necessitating consideration and consolidation of two very different legal frameworks, and involved more than 18 months of sensitive negotiations between the governments and with the oil majors whose interests in the Timor Sea were affected by the new Treaty. At the end of the mandate, ratification of the Treaty could proceed, and I was fortunate to be in the Timorese capital Dili for the accompanying ceremonies and celebrations. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Tell me how your career has developed at DLA Piper.

I originally joined DLA Piper as a Senior Associate in 2017 to work with Stephen Webb, specifically to reinforce his engagement with the Government of Timor-Leste, and in particular to provide oil & gas legal expertise to support negotiations between Timor and Australia on maritime boundary matters. My career since then at the firm has spanned everything from LNG import terminals in south-east Asia, to offshore wind projects in Australia, to carbon credit projects in Australia and in the broader Asia-Pac region.

I took a 'year out' from DLA Piper in 2022 to go in-house and work on the Australia-Asia Power Link for Sun Cable, a proposed electricity infrastructure project connecting Australia with Singapore, via the world's largest solar farm, largest battery, and longest submarine power cable. It was a fantastic experience working so closely with management and commercial teams, and I certainly learnt new skills in client focus and client delivery. However, when the opportunity came to return to DLA Piper as a Partner at the start of 2023, I didn't hesitate – it is privilege to carry forward the firm's longstanding culture of excellence, innovation and collaboration and to see that culture embraced by the next generation.