• "I definitely wasn't growing up thinking I wanted to be a lawyer."

  • "Waikato was a newer law school and was often seen as a second rate institution. However, a group of us did secure positions in those big firms and I am very grateful that I got the chance to work in a big firm because I now know what it’s like."

  • "You get great opportunities with big clients and big cases so it [big law firms] can be a fantastic opportunity for a junior or intermediate lawyer to go and give it a try."

  • "People worry it [working overseas] will impact their career, but my view is it won't. If you pick up work in your industry there, you are still gaining experience and you have so many years to work in New Zealand when you return."

  • "We have great clients, and many bigger Auckland clients use Hamilton firms because we have just as much skill and we’re much cheaper."

  • "I naturally view life as a journey of constant improvement and development, and progression in the firm generally comes with that."

  • "It's not like Suits; usually, it takes about 18 months to get to court, but you still have those moments when someone says something unexpected that really helps you. It’s that feeling of fear but doing it anyway and then feeling really energised by it."

  • "I try to message this to our team that when they have family obligations, they need to go, because work will always be here."

  • "It has not been easy, and I've had people say, "We don't think you are partnership material," which was really hard to work through, but I had enough people back me in the firm to keep going and gain the confidence to say, "No, I can do this"."

  • "If people believe leadership is all about the numbers, they clash with my style. "

  • "I think the split in roles where it's not just the female who gives up their career is crucial. People work incredibly hard to get their law degrees and if you take a career break, it can put you on hold and cause you to fall behind."

  • "Being on the board, particularly in the not-for-profit sector, broadens your mindset, teaching you how to run an organisation on nothing and exposing you to other parts of society you might never see."

  • "Absolutely start on a not-for-profit board. You will learn how a board runs, how to work with different personalities, and what it’s like to be in a governance role."

  • "Stay true to yourself. Acknowledge that you sometimes have to do things you don't like, and you will have hard knocks; but if you continue to align with the organisation's goals, keep moving forward, focus on constant improvement and growing yourself then you will be in good stead."