The legal finance provider's first head of international arbitration on her inspirations & challenges
What was your route into the profession?
I spent many years in big law and then one of my best friends called with a great idea—it was litigation funding.
What has been your biggest career challenge so far?
Learning how to market myself and my team in order to source new cases and opportunities has been a challenge, but one that I’ve embraced.
Which person within the legal profession inspires you most?
Christine Lagarde—she had an extraordinary legal career and became the first woman and non-American to hold the role of chairman at Baker McKenzie, before becoming French Economy and Finance Minister and eventually being made Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.
If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you choose as an alternate career?
It would have been very interesting to have been a surgeon or Minister of Foreign Affairs for France. Alternatively, a career in the mould of Elon Musk’s would have been fascinating.
Who is your favourite fictional character?
When I was younger I would have said James Bond, but now that I am older and wiser (as well as a feminist and a humanist), it has to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
What change would you make to the profession?
Business models where people get paid by the hour mean that businesses will always encourage people to work the maximum number of hours possible. At the dawn of legaltech, artificial intelligence, data mining and machine learning as well as new flexible working methods, this model needs to change.
How do you relax?
I enjoy running with my dog, an Australian Shepperd called Lucky.
