May 2016 Lucienne Cassidy Senior Associate in the Restructuring and Special Situations Group at Ashurst
I became a lawyer because …
I realised I wasn't destined to be a journalist (which is what I was studying when I finished school). So I starting studying law instead and discovered that I really enjoyed the intellectual challenge and creative thinking required.
I am really proud of …
The relationships I have built with my amazing team in Melbourne and Sydney (having worked in both offices) and with my core clients to whom I am advisor and a recipient of invaluable career support and development.
You can have it all …
If you work out which things mean the most to you and then invest your energy into those things, rather than exhausting yourself trying to prioritise too many different pursuits. I am still working on this one!
I am extremely grateful for …
The mentoring I have received from supervisors, clients and other contacts who have helped me navigate the first few years of my career and work out the kind of lawyer I want to be.
If I wasn’t a lawyer …
(And ability was not a prerequisite) I would be the lead singer in a folk band!
Before I started at Ashurst …
I spend three months travelling through India, which was a wonderful, exhausting and enriching experience.
The best advice I ever received was ...
The most important thing is to be a good person to work with – all the other things will follow.
One of the key legal initiatives I am involved in …
Is addressing gender diversity issues in the legal sector and how we can break down structural barriers to retaining excellent women and men who also want to stay involved in raising their children.
Outside of the law …
I am actually taking singing lessons for fun – though maybe I'll have to take them more seriously if being a lawyer doesn’t work out!
A key mentor who influenced my career is …
My current supervisor, who has involved and challenged me in all aspects of our matters from day one, but in a way that has allowed me to learn and develop my own style and way of thinking.
Colleen Martin
Special Counsel
from Corrs Chambers
Melissa PhillipsLawyer
Corporate and Transactional
from K&L Gates
