Aug 2018 | Pey-Chiann Hor | Maurice Blackburn

August 2018 | Pey-Chiann ('Pey') Hor, Senior Associate and Regional Office Leader, Reservoir, Road & Work Injuries, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers 

I became a lawyer because …

...A career that had purpose, meaning, served the community and helped others appealed to me. I did not know what I wanted to do when I left school. All I knew is that I hoped to find a job where I could assist others to overcome a problem they had. I was very lucky to land articles at Maurice Blackburn as it meant that I could live out what I wanted as a school-leaver.

I am really proud of …

Working for Maurice Blackburn Lawyers. We absolutely live and breathe what we say we will do, and that is, look after and fight for our clients who are vulnerable and deserving and we are always striving to deliver even better client outcomes.

You can have it all …

I think that comment depends on what you want. If you’ve worked out what you want and you’re achieving that then yes, sure, you can have it all, but I think we’re all ambitious women in this industry and sometimes it may feel like we don’t have it all yet but I’m confident we will get there. I certainly don’t feel like “I have it all”, all the time. Personal and professional goals and desires are always shifting and when you’ve reset those there is a period of time when you are working towards having it all. Having it all 5 or 10 years ago may not be the same as having it all now or in 5 or 10 years’ time. At least that’s the case with me.

I am extremely grateful for …

…My family. My parents instilled the value of going for what you want and working hard. My grandparents came from nothing/not much and showed that you can get to where you want. My husband, parents, siblings and in-laws are now huge supports helping me to juggle being a mum and working full time (MB has given me flex work arrangements too). 

A key mentor who influenced my career is …

There are a number. Reflecting on this, I think they’re all female, from Maurice Blackburn and the Bar. I’ve been lucky to work with some amazing female Principals and Senior Lawyers during my time at MB and they all always have the time to share their experience and give tips (Liberty Sanger, Canda Glanville, Kate Booth to name a few). But I have also benefited from listening to (Alice Lau) and learning from (Azmeena Hussain) my peers who are always questioning me “Why not you?” when at times I’ve said “Why me?”.

If I wasn’t a lawyer …

I have no idea what I would have become (probably as I was never one of those children passionate about becoming a specific occupation). I’m lucky that I loved the study of law and now working in the law as I do wonder from time to time what I’d do with myself if I wasn’t a lawyer. Maybe ask me that in 12 months or 5 years or something, I will give it some good thought before then. 

Before I started at Maurice Blackburn …

I was studying at law school (and I had a 9 month study break where I worked in an accounting firm, go figure…). I’m very fortunate to work for Maurice Blackburn where they value their employees. It is reflected in the way they treat their staff and as such we have a really high retention rate. I’ve only worked at MB since starting over 10 years ago.

The best advice I ever received was ...

...As I said above, always ask “Why not me?” to an opportunity instead of asking myself “Why me?”

One of the key legal initiatives I am involved in …

I’m involved in the technical development of the lawyers in the Road & Work Injuries Practice at MB and I’m proud of the number of initiatives, training days and policies we’ve developed to ensure we deliver the best service and quality legal advice to our clients. I’m also recently stepped into the role of Victorian Convenor for Maurice Blackburn’s Women’s Network whilst our convenor (Emma Starkey) is on parental leave. Our goals include promoting access to the legal system for women, providing mentoring & development opportunities for women at MB and externally, raising awareness and supporting women’s organisations in our local community and advocating for women’s rights through submissions and policy development.

Outside of the law …

I relax by playing and sometimes teaching piano, although my son has protested against this recently “No mummy piano!” When I’m not with my family, which includes a huge extended family, you may find me looking for another extracurricular activity to take on whether its convening my high school’s Legal Circle or taking class to improve my very basic Mandarin skills or before my son I joined the Melbourne Lawyer’s Orchestra but sadly couldn’t continue after my son was born.

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