August 2022 | Anna Svenson | Director and Principal Clerk Svenson Barristers
My favourite part of working with the Victorian Bar …
Working with solicitors and barristers! I feel like I have found my calling in my role. I love my ability to help foster the careers of barristers new to the Bar. Seeing junior barristers land their 'big breakthrough briefs' and build their careers is really rewarding. Working to support our readers is one of my favourite aspects of my job. It is also really satisfying to be able to work with more senior barristers through practice pivots and readjustments to the work that they wish to do. When I am able to help List members achieve their career goals I’m delighted!
I also feel lucky to be able work collaboratively with solicitors looking to engage barristers. I like using creative thinking to help lawyers ascertain who is the most suitable counsel for their briefs. Feedback from solicitors and clients who are really happy with our recommendations makes my day!
More broadly, I like chatting about the law and the wider industry from a bird’s eye view. It is so great to be able to engage with people directly involved in interesting legal disputes. I love hearing about trends in litigation, the outcomes of recent unique cases and the ongoing changes in the way the courts approach the various matters before them. Attending and hosting events for solicitors and barristers is another one of the fun perks of my job.
A typical working day for me is…
Starting with a coffee! Then heading into the office, but not everyday at the moment.
I was excited to welcome our first child in January 2022, so I am still splitting my time between onsite working some days and at home parenting on others.
On my dedicated work days I prefer to be onsite, so I head into Svenson Barristers. When I am in the office I spend half my time working on the business (the future planning and strategic parts) and half my time working in the business (taking clerking enquiries, having career discussions with barristers, reviewing trust and general account matters etc).
I try to do face to face meetings on my onsite work days, so they tend to be jam packed and very productive. I was really eager to return to work after having a baby, as in many ways Svenson Barristers, was my ‘first baby’ and I did miss working during my time finding my feet in my new role as ‘Mum’. I know that I am privileged to have a very supportive husband and an incredible nanny, whose wonderful care for my son Oscar enables me to fully commit to my work on my office days.
My best tip for lawyers coming to the Victorian Bar is…
Work on your personal brand and LinkedIn presence well in advance of coming to the Bar. The wide and varied legal marketplace will be best placed to engage you if they know of you and what you excel at. Continue to build your networks - add colleagues from your university and workplace, add professional association connections, people you appear against and counsel you know. Shake off the 'tall poppy syndrome' fears and be proud of who you are and the expertise and career you have cultivated to date. Curating the right audience before you announce that you are able to accept briefs as a barrister means that you have set yourself up for success right from the start.
The thing I am most proud of is…
This year it is: celebrating five years for Svenson Barristers!
It was a huge leap for me to leave my safe and comfy employment as a lawyer working in personal injuries litigation, to take on business ownership. Five years on, I am still feeling very proud of the guts and determination it took to back myself to take the big leap into this role. I feel so proud of the business I am building and the positive reputation we have, and continue to grow, in the legal marketplace.
