Career Girl Spotlight - Laura Chong The 400 Co

For anyone who reads my tweets and this blog you will know I am a massive advocate for work/life balance and having extracurricular activities. 

These activities could be your children, your love of expensive wine, sport and fitness (like me), or fashion like Laura Chong (pictured below). Laura is the first career girl, in a series to come, that I am going to spotlight. 

Laura is a lawyer (like some of the best of us are!) but is also an entrepreneur. Laura is a fashion designer and has started her own clothing label The 400 Co (www.the400co.com.au). These clothes are aimed at corporate women and are oh so comfortable. I've been privileged enough to model for Laura at a recent women's networking event and they deserve to be seen by the world. 

Here is an exclusive look into Laura's life and how she makes it happen. 

Laura Chong - Lawyer, Fashion Designer and Entrepreneur 

What is your "day" career

Construction Litigator at Holding Redlich. 

How many hours a day do you generally spend at your "day" career

On average, 9 to 11 hours. 

Throughout the early stages of your career, how did you wind down and de-stress

Like many young lawyers, cocktail hour was a great time to wind down with friends. But exercise is a greater motivator and a chance to de-stress!

You've now started your own fashion line and released your latest designs, what prompted you to do this

After my first year in the law full time, I realised that I needed something more; a way to express myself creatively. Aside for wanting something different to wear to work than all the high street labels that everyone else in the city owned, I wanted a way to contrast my busy, high pressure law practice with something that was a little fun and creative. 

I read an article one day that said this was a way to achieving work life balance and even though it has turned into a form of work, I feel like it gives me the drive I need in my day job and in the business side of The 400 Co. 

How much leg work did you have to put into starting the line

I had about 3 months of planning from surfing the web for manufacturers to launching the live website. There wasn't really any moment where I was planning as such, I hit the ground running and made the big decisions when they popped up. I think this is a major problem for small businesses is doing too much planning. My biggest tip is don't sit on your idea for too long, do your research, but go ahead and do it. Otherwise you will get bored of it or it will never truly take off. 

Does the line provide you with that extra release for your "day" career

Definitely.  There are some things that law offers me that The 400 Co does not, and vice versa. They both perfectly balance me out at this point. The 400 Co is the creative release that I need when I come home from a busy day at the office and need to switch off my mind and relax. 

What are your hopes for the future for the line 

I would like to see The 400 Co gain a grater presence in Australia and I am planning to do this by extending our networks. 

This part of our other strategy to give back - we have grown so quickly and with our exposure we have been approached by a number of charities that we are working with to achieve mutual ends and awareness within the community on important issues that corporate professionals are in a good position to make positive changes towards. 

Wow. That is fantastic. So taking all of that on board, do you believe it is important to have a work life balance 

Definitely. Though this is concept that is easier said than done. What achieves balance for one person will not necessarily work for another. My advice to young professionals is try a few different tactics and branch out. It is not so much about reducing your hours at work but more about finding the time to do things that make you happy. 

Do you hope to inspire others to branch out and be diverse in their career, or do you think it's important to inspire girls to do their best and take the path they want to succeed

I think we all have different goals in life. It is not so much about being diverse, working women need to find the time to sit down and think "what am I working towards?"  There is no point slaving away if you don't have a target in mind. You should have both long term and short term goals that are achievable and that you can work towards. Without goals, life is very uninspiring!!

Who is that one career girl who inspires you/is your role model 

My role model is very close to home. Janelle Kerrisk, my Partner at Holding Redlich, is a true inspiration. She is the type of woman that gets out there and does it. She makes you believe that anything is possible if you want it, work towards it and know you deserve it. 

Every career girl has that one quote they live by. What is yours?

The global success brand Nike says it best - JUST DO IT!

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Thanks so much for your time Laura. I can't wait to see what your next line brings. 

Uni and Work. Is it the same thing? Part 1 of tips for your transition

You've finished uni and you're about to start as a Graduate/Trainee Solicitor. Think it's the same thing? Late nights, lots of reading and trying to impress your superiors while (secretly) trying to outdo your fellow junior colleagues. Wrong.

Working life is completely differently. Yes you still need the same drive and ambition, but your first lesson will be learning the environment and atmosphere.  It's like Dr Lois Frankel says - you need to learn the office politics in order to get ahead. 

Just don't watch Suits the night before your first day. You are not Mike Ross, you're the Harold. You won't have a Rachael and the Jessica won't know your name. Your supervising Partner will be a Harvey, but you won't be getting home visits or spoon fed on cases. 

Here's a few of my tips (this was about 3 times as long but I've cut it back - will do a part 2 soon!) on what I have learned through the past 6 years. 

1. Identify opportunities

Your job is to make sure the Senior Associates/Special Counsel/Partners have the correct information they need to give advice to the client. If you come up with two answers, or two paths, go to whoever gave you the task and say "I think we could go this way or this way, but it depends on this". Don't just give them both in a memo and leave it. Use your initiative. 

You nail the research, the Partner nails their advice. I will never forget the first "great work" on a memo I had given a Partner. I had worked hard on this research and it was good it was recognised. Just don't expect this constantly. Partners aren't there to blow smoke up your butt - but they will acknowledge hard work when it's earned. 

2. Ask Questions - but don't suck up

Personally I love questions. The best is "why are you doing it that way". If you've helped me with a task and the advice/documents have gone, follow it up. Ask for a copy or 5 mins to discuss why that path was chosen. This is how you learn. 

But don't ask questions if you know the answer, or you just want to show off. Partners don't have time for that. I was instructing at my first criminal trial and the Barrister I was instructing said to me "I don't ask a witness a question unless I know the answer and don't ask me a question if you can't anticipate my answer". Best piece of advice ever. 

3. That's not my job, ahh well it is

You're a Grad. Everything is your job. Look at the positives a) you're being asked and b) think about what you will learn. 

Every task has a purpose. Photocopying a brief isn't just numbering pages. It's your opportunity to see how a litigation runs. Use it to your advantage and familiarise yourself with the documents and why they are in there. 

You cant keep your "I'm a law student" attitude. That will need to change quick smart. Being a graduate is similar to going from Grade 7 to Grade 8. One minute you're at the top, next you're at the bottom. Deal with it and get back to the top again. 

4. Don't stay long hours if you don't have work to do

There are so many opinions on this. Some stay stay longer than everyone else, others say only stay if you're needed. 

 

I say there is a middle ground. If you're meant to be there 8.30am to 5pm, be prepared to be there 8am to 530pm. Let your supervisors know if have capacity and pop your head in before you leave. Work in with your partner, if they are early risers, maybe try getting in early if you need to see them. Just remember work life balance (see past post). 

Your biggest asset will be your ability to judge your workload. There's a difference between staying back and getting a task done so you can say its done and staying back due to an urgent timeframe. I could be in the office 24 hours a day if I didn't know the difference. Prioritise. Your work will never be done. There's always something waiting for you. 

5. Create a precedent list

 

This will be your greatest asset. Mine has a contents page and is broken down into categories and sub-headings. Nerd I know. 

 

But case law is so important and as a Grad you will have first hand access which will help you for the rest of your career. 

~~~

Moving forward (get used to that saying) - you will get there. You just need to prove yourself. My philosophy is work hard while you are a junior and prove your worth. Don't step on toes or over toes. Make sure your bring up list is checked daily and do a completely file review monthly. 

 

Don't think you're too good for any task. Don't backchat and don't get it wrong. Try your hardest. Being a lawyer is all about reputation. Your Graduate years will define you. 

 

To my fellow career girls, do yourself a favour and read Nice Girls Don't get the Corner Office by Dr Lois Frankel. It will help you with your behaviour and attitude and leads me to my next blog post - your professional voice vs your personal voice. Massive thanks to Katherine Feeney, Brisbane Times who gave me the idea for my next post. 

Jealousy or Arrogancy

So, you think that your friend/colleague/partner/family member is jealous of your recent promotion or successes.

But are they really?

It's quite easy when one is thriving to pull away from their usual click of friends. This could be due to new found commitments, pressures or simply because as you have developed as a person you have changed. There is nothing wrong with change (despite what Quinn says on One Tree Hill). 

But there is something wrong when you think every comment or remark from your friend is just them being jealous. 

Maybe it's just you being arrogant. But how do you separate the two?

Think about who is making the comment

In law, intention is the foundation of many offences (think Legally Blonde - mens rea). Havea think - does this person usually make this types of comments? How was the comment made? Was it by text message or email or in person? Have you read it out of context? 

Before you react and tell them to stop acting jealous, think about these things. Knee jerk reactions could only create the situation worse. 

If this person isn't a bitch usually, keep thinking. Maybe they are going through a rough time, maybe they just have PMS. Ask before responding, but also think about why they made the comment.  

What did you say/do before they made the comment

Why was the comment made - were you being insincere, speaking only of yourself? Did you make a humble brag that lacked the humble part? You might have actually caused the comment.

If so, (first of all congrats for admitting it), but get off your high horse and loose the arrogance. Your friend may be jealous, but you have caused it! You don't deserve support and friendship if you are just going to act like that, you will end up pushing people away through your attitude. 

If you were being arrogant, take steps to fix it. Apologise, admit you were a bit too excited and ask your friend how they are. 

If the green eyed monster is there

If you weren't arrogant and your friend is jealous, what comes next is up to you. 

Maybe the jealousy is because your friend feels as though they failed. They should have accomplished what you did first. Don't hold it against them. Work with them, encourage them. 

For me, my pride and reputation is number 1. If this is hurt, then I feel as though I have failed. Help your friend see the positives and that they too can achieve greatness. In the meantime, don't make jokes about them having to live in your spare room or basement or cutting back on the Friday long lunches. Be there for them. No is not the time to be ungrateful and push your friend away. 

Jealousy is a horrible feeling and stems from self-confidence. If your friend is jealous, don't feed the green eyed monster. Help them achieve their goals, help them see their greatness. 

No one wants to have (or be) a jealous friend, but you shouldn't be arrogant one either. 

Work together and build the career girls community. No one should be alone - in success or failure. 

As my Dad says - Don't step on toes on the way up which may be attached to the arse you have to kiss on the way down. 

Work life balan.... ?? My views and how I achieve it

I have seen a number of articles floating round (some good ones on Forbes) about work life balance. Some say its a myth, some say its needed, others just don't care. What do I think? Continue reading.

I love my work. I have wanted to be a lawyer since I was 8. I grew up in Bundaberg (around 80,000 pop) and all I wanted was to live in the city. My dad worked his butt of to pay for a private high school and I did what I had to in order to get through uni. At times I worked two jobs and I somehow find time to study. I am thankful for where I am today and for what my dad did in order to guide me to where I am. 

I am not about to slack off just because I "made it". I work in a top tier firm and have a fantastic office . I can work long hours at times, but its for a purpose. I will never jeopardise what I have achieved by putting a 830am to 5pm, 1 hour lunch break timetable on my day. But I can work and I can do the hours and keep friends, family and the boyfriend happy. How?  I plan. I have a balance and I think everyone can. 

Right now I m sitting at the hairdressers and I will be here at least for another 2 hours. I didn't bring my work blackberry, and I don't intend to do any work today. Tomorrow I will do my time sheets, read a through cases from the week and spend some time with my boyfriend and our friends. Everything I do outside of work is a reflection of what I can achieve in work. Reading these cases will give me that extra knowledge, help me maybe bring in some more clients and I can reap the rewards and sit at the hairdressers for 3 hours on a Saturday. 

Work is a priority in my life. So are my boyfriend, friends and family. But I make them co-exist. I make it work. I organise my schedule, I plan ahead and I make time for everything. I make sure I contact my friends weekly and I have "Cassa time" too. Granted, I have been known to "schedule in" a call to my dad.
 

Those who say they don't have a work life balance don't know no to plan. They let work consume their life and they don't choose to make time, or they neglect to make time. Organise yourself and reap the rewards. Work in with others. My boyfriend works early (tradie), and I prefer to go to the gym early. So we get up at the same time, I go to the gym at the same time he goes to work. Then come 6pm I can head home, have dinner with him, relax and if there is pressing work I can do it after that and pre bed. 

I have a set bed time but I'm flexible. If I have an urgent matter, or we have a dinner on, I adapt. I don't get upset that there has been changes. I work with it. 

Everyone can have a balance if they try and if they want to. If you don't make time for other things, that's your fault. Organise your day and sort yourself out. Only you can change that. 

Decide what you want in life and how you are going to make it happen. 

Now, go and get your calendar and start now. Balance is there and balance is achievable. 

Some quotes to get you motivated:

�If you commit to giving more time than you have to spend, you will constantly be running from time debt collectors.� 

? Elizabeth Grace Saunders, The 3 Secrets to Effective Time Investment: Achieve More Success with Less Stress: Foreword by Cal Newport, Author of So Good They Can't Ignore You

�A true balance between work and life comes with knowing that your life activities are integrated, not separated.� 

? Michael Thomas Sunnarborg, 21 Keys to Work/Life Balance: Unlock Your Full Potential

Smart is Sexy ... Dumb is never cute

Recently Sophia Bush was tweeting with the #smartissexy hashtag and this brought about a few comments. Was this discriminatory? Was it insulting? Or was it making girls realise that (acting) dumb is never cute.

I don't know the origins of girls acting dumb, but I wonder if it can be traced back to feeding the male ego, the alpha male who has found himself in a situation where the female is actually the alpha female, the breadwinner. In any event, a female should never have to act dumb in order to placate anyone - including males. 

Is this behaviour a result of the feminist movement reaching its high but needing to back track (slightly) in order to "keep the peace", but going too far back the other way, and resulting in the "dumb is cute" movement. 

The other train of thought is perhaps these girls are not acting dumb, but are following the behaviour of Hollywood and celebrities. 

I don't know which is worse. 

Perhaps smart females are intimidating. But either way the behaviour needs to stop. Unfortunately it won't until we have more role models showing that it is possible to be smart, impress a lad, and not have to act like a complete bimbo in the process. Empowering and smart women like Sophia Bush are the females that are leading this movement. 

Margaret Halsey: Success does not implant bad characteristics in people. It merely steps up the growth rate of the bad characteristics they already had.

I am back - LawyerCas: Life of a Lawyer (re)launch

I am not new to the blogging sphere, having dabbled blogs in their early days and more recently tumblr. I wanted to start fresh so spent a bit of time deciding which platform I wanted to use for my (re)launch of "LawyerCas - Life of a Lawyer" - and now I'm back!

The next issue I had was content. I don't want to focus on my law - I have twitter to share that info. I am all for the separation of work and personal opinions. I thought about using this blog as an outlet to the intricate workings of my non-stop, over analysing mind, but who wants a dear diary entry that will come back to haunt me if I ever make use of my second degree and enter into politics.

So, what does that leave? Plenty of options! My interests vary from that of an intense tomboy who will out skill you on every ruling made in footy, to wine and what red gives off the best tannins, to fashion and shoes. Oh I love shoes - make that heels. Give a woman a good set of heels and she will rule the world. I am passionate about women making a difference in this world (refer to my constant #careergirls tweets on Twitter), but my views will always fall short of my foresisters such as Mary Wollstonecraft, and given the resurgence of feminism in recent times I need to be careful of my views in fear of offending or alienating anyone. I could go on - surfing, skating, the beach, cupcakes, brunches, Latin, literature, God - I love it all. Except meat, I can't blog on meat - I am a pescatarian, seafood only.

Therefore, be prepared to be inundated with all things #lifeofalawyer. Why? Because I can. We all have a voice, we all have views and we all have ambitions. Some of you might think who cares what she does. But there is always a misconception about lawyers and the life we lead. You will learn that I am not from your stereotypical old-money-everyone-is-in-law-or-politics family. I want to encourage everyone to realise their dreams. If law is yours, go for it. If it is something else. Go for that. Put your mind to it and don't stop until you have succeeded.

�It matters not how strait the gate, 

How charged with punishments the scroll, 

I am the master of my fate: 

I am the captain of my soul.�

William Ernest Henley

Ans so begins the (re)launch of LawyerCas and Life of a Lawyer . Enjoy.