![]() ![]() “I realised what I’d done in the law could be taken into other spheres of influence. Now Rathie’s career has taken a different path. Her roles in this area include active membership of the Law Society of NSW’s Diversity and Cultural Committee and NSW Patron of the Asian Australian Lawyers Association. Rathie has won many accolades for her contributions to leadership in the law, and her advancement of gender and cultural diversity. She retired in 2021 as the firm’s most senior female partner. She was the first Australian with a Chinese cultural background to be employed by Stephen Jaques in 1985 and the first Asian Australian equity partner appointed at Mallesons Stephen Jaques, now King Wood Mallesons. Rathie’s career embodies her view that inclusion in the workplace is the key factor in retention. While Wall says the most important thing is to get the physical environment (the practice’s location) right, for Katrina Rathie it is the internal environment we should concentrate on: the workplace. It depends on what you make of it.” An ecosystem of belonging “The law is not inherently just hard work or a rewarding profession. Prioritise having a life outside work, because that’s what keeps you sane. Knowing your stuff, and looking after your clients. His advice: “Prioritise doing a good job. If you work in the city, you can just do your work and the collateral damage never comes to your eyes.” ![]() There’s a level of responsibility because you work with people you see all the time. “You’re likely to do ‘family counselling’ in a small town. The lawyer is a trusted figure in this environment. You live among people from all social strata, and small communities are very supportive,” he says. “It’s a great place to live and bring your kids up in. Then there’s work–life balance.” Work is a short walk from home, and he has time for the activities he loves: kayaking, skiing and cycling. “First, there’s the variety of work in a regional practice. Wall lists some of the assumptions that deter lawyers from working in regional areas: reduced earning power, lack of good schools, and lack of legal networks.įor Wall, it’s the location that has kept him in the legal profession for the totality of his working life. Though 26 per cent of Australians live in rural and regional areas, only 10 per cent of lawyers work there. However, succession is difficult in country practices. Wall explains: “I moved here because I discovered cross-country skiing and wanted a job close to the Snowy Mountains.” He worked in and then bought the practice Walker, Gibbs & King, but now hopes to hand over the reins to the right person. Chris Wall, a solicitor in Cooma in southern NSW, was “expecting to stay four years” in the practice he joined 41 years ago. ![]()
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