Could you tell us a bit about your significant successes in your role?

The last 2 or 3 years have been challenging but the unique circumstances presented by the pandemic have also presented many opportunities to excel. I am fortunate to work for a company that has encouraged and supported its employees over this difficult time. Among many involvements, I have assisted the business in responding to the regulatory framework imposed on landlords to provide rent relief to customers impacted by the pandemic. This has required me to rapidly come to grips with legislation fast tracked, to respond to an evolving crisis and in turn develop and cement precedent documents all the while working remotely and in isolation from other team members. Additionally, I have worked on several varied and complex property, infrastructure, compulsory acquisitions, capital transactions and corporate transactions over the past 2 years. I have worked on complex sales with difficult conditions precedent to fulfil and juggled the demands of numerous Authorities and private third parties but have dedicated myself to ensuring these transactions complete on time.

I have supported our department through updating and improving several precedents and processes, such as revising and improving the developments tender process which has now been rolled out nationally across Goodman. I have also innovated the legal function by establishing an internal resource called The Legal Hub, which is a legal manual of collective knowledge and IP, accumulation of several years of legal experience for different business units to access and increase efficiency and consistency. This has been a major resource for the business and continues to grow to date. I have mentored junior lawyers within the team through continued support, review of work and as a compassionate sounding board. The organisations Connect+ group mentoring programme was born from an idea I submitted via the organisation’s innovation portal. The Connect+ programme comprises a diverse cross-section of people from the business who come together monthly in person to discuss important issues of interest. Lastly, I am committed to promoting WHS within business by being an active member of the Goodman WHS committee and wellness working group, with a particular focus on wellbeing and mental health through active involvement with mental health first aid training programmes and establishment of the Connect+ mentoring group programme.

In your opinion, what are the qualities and skills needed to form a strong legal team?

The qualities needed to form a strong legal team are innovation, leadership and protection. Legal teams that are dedicated to these qualities have a great foundation to thrive. Where legal team members have a strong sense of their own core values and personal brand, which may be varied and diverse, together with a strong culture of encouragement and support, those teams experience the psychological safety to implement transformative change and influence others within the business positively. It is important to me to incorporate my own personal values of integrity and hard work with the Goodman values of determination and sustainability. Where legal teams have a strong sense of their own core values and how these align with those of the broader organisation, then that is when the team will go from being a reactive portal to a proactive and integral instigator of positive change.