MinterEllison Flex provides career alternatives for those who enjoy the flexibility and variety of working on temporary engagements, while still being part of a leading firm.”
Linda Martin
Linda, as a MinterEllison alumni, found being a Flex Lawyer a fantastic way to re-join a firm she knew but in a flexible contracting structure. Linda enjoyed the familiarity but even more so appreciated the flexibility as she returned to the market following time away starting a family.
"After a few years off as a mum, it was great to come back to Minters, which is a firm I know well, having worked as a Senior Associate for a number of years. I love the firm and I knew by coming into a firm that is top tier, I would be exposed to some great clients. Aside from just upskilling after five years off, I love the fact that I was able to take secondment opportunities in different industries. So when I came back, I worked in real estate, infrastructure, company secretariat and financial services. I really felt that I was able not only to build my confidence back as a lawyer but to broaden my experience."
The demographic of Flex candidates is broad, but for lawyers like Linda, who had lost some confidence after being away from the profession, it was the perfect way to return.
"What MinterEllison and Flex did for me was give me the confidence to come back in part time, get familiar with the law again and the updates to the law but know that I had a top tier law firm behind me providing me with the support that I needed".
The support of MinterEllison as a top tier law firm has been beneficial for Linda, who wanted to broaden her skill base in areas where she didn't have the depth of knowledge. Knowing she could reach out to a top tier partner who's a specialist in that area helped her to feel comfortable and reassured that she had the backing of the firm and its resources.
Linda greatly appreciated that the Flex team were able to accommodate the areas of work she was interested in. "I was a property commercial lawyer but I really wanted to try different areas of the law to work out my career path which was always to step up eventually to be a General Counsel. I love the fact that Minters really listened and so each secondment was a step opportunity to get my skills back to where they'd been and after that to really let me try different industries and specialities to work out where I wanted to be".
Linda's advice for anyone feeling a little overwhelmed returning to the workforce, is to know that MinterEllison is absolutely there for support.
"You need to be fairly unapologetic about what you're looking for when you first dip your toe back in the water. For me, I knew that with young twins, the most I could commit to was three days a week. I'm grateful I returned slowly because that enabled me to not overstretch myself. Every secondment was a step up, and a really wonderful pathway to be able to feel comfortable putting my hand up for more senior roles".
Linda concluded by sharing "I really do thank Flex for the breadth of opportunities that I was given in those secondment roles. I think because I was able to do management as well transactional work, it equipped me well to move into my current role at Remondis as General Counsel".
