Want to learn the fastest way to go from expert lawyer to trusted leader this year? 

You didn't get where you are by accident. Your legal expertise, intellect, and dedication have built a successful practice and career.

You've mastered complex law, won difficult cases, and earned respect for your technical skills.

What truly motivated me was the opportunity to help people who were vulnerable, often during the most difficult times of their lives,  needing help to achieve the best possible results when they were uncertain and unconfident in a challenging legal system.

That motivation hasn't changed.

Perhaps it's what drew you to law, too.

But as I progressed in my career, I noticed something was missing.

The Hidden Gap Even Successful Lawyers Face

You're a law expert—that's not the issue.

As I established myself as a barrister in 2012 and became a mediator in 2014, I witnessed something that reinforced my suspicions.

The most technically excellent lawyers—people who looked like they had it all together—were struggling with something legal education and practice had never taught them.

• They couldn't set boundaries or have difficult conversations with demanding clients (or anyone).
• They resorted to control and force (or their position) instead of influence in high-stakes moments.
• They prioritised client work to the detriment of their leadership, practice, performance and personal life.

And despite all their achievements, they felt like something was missing—the kind of respect that goes beyond their title, the influence that doesn't require force, the confidence to handle any high-pressure situation with strategy. 

Having been learning leadership skills since I was 18, I knew there was a better way.

The Breaking Point That Changed Everything

After two years at the bar, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Taking a year away from the bar for treatment shifted my focus from litigation to mediation, coaching and consulting.

But the real shift came later. I was briefed as a junior barrister with a senior barrister considered a "leader." I observed him openly blaming me to 'the bench' and instructing the solicitor (without providing guidance, even when asked for it), often throwing me under the bus during a hearing.

It was at that time that I stopped accepting litigation briefs. I wasn't willing to accept toxic behaviours that weren't leadership, even by people considered legal leaders in leadership roles.

I could see the legal profession's definition of "leadership" as being based on genetic factors (being born a leader), hierarchy, titles, and position, rather than learned skills, and it was its greatest weakness.

I'm Uniquely Positioned

I'm not just another leadership coach trying to understand lawyers (I am a barrister-mediator).

I've been involved in litigation for 10 years and have been in the legal profession for 15 years.

I know what it's like to lead in and out of law, to question yourself in front of judges when the pressure is on, to handle high-conflict individuals at mediation who test every boundary, and to believe you have to "know it all" to be trusted and reputable.

Your legal expertise is impressive, but it can trap you. The very skills that made you successful as a lawyer can become barriers to the influence and respect you want as a leader.

Credentials Beyond Law: Harvard Negotiation, Leadership & How To Have Difficult Conversations | Certified High Performance, Emotional Intelligence Coach  + Consultant | Brené Brown Dare to Lead Consultant | Advanced Trained Mediator | Diploma of Leadership + Management.

What You're Capable Of

You're already legally accomplished. You're also capable of:

• Earning respect and trust without sacrificing your reputation or yourself
• Influencing people and outcomes without resorting to control, force or authority tactics
• Building thriving practices as market leaders without 80-hour weeks
• Navigating high-stakes situations with confidence and strategy

Three Core Truths About Legal Leadership

1. You can be wildly successful as a legal leader without sacrificing what matters most. The myth that professional success requires personal sacrifice is what keeps most lawyers trapped.

2. The profession taught you the wrong definition of strength. Legal culture rewards the wrong behaviours. What they call "strength"—never admitting gaps, controlling every outcome, and showing up with a "perfect mask" - limits your influence and results as a leader with the people who matter most.

3. Years of legal experience will never make you a trusted leader. 5, 10, 15 or 20+ years in practice won't automatically make you a leader, only a legal expert. It's your ability to lead yourself, clients, teams, colleagues, and counterparts that separates market leaders from other expert lawyers (a requirement in the AI era, so that everyone who competes on legal skills alone will be left behind).