Two of Lane Neave’s Partners, Fiona McMillan and Anna Ryan, have been recognised as Elite Women in NZ Lawyer’s annual rankings.
Selected from a pool of high achievers, these awards celebrate innovative thinking, leadership and an ability to challenge conventional beliefs and behaviours in the legal profession.
This is the second year that Employment Law Partner Fiona has been crowned an Elite Woman. She reflects on her career so far: “I like to think that people have observed me and realised you don’t have to be a certain stereotype or behave in a certain way to be a good lawyer. Being professional and honest are the two must-have traits; there is a lot of room to just be you beyond that.”
Competition and IP Partner Anna describes a key moment early on in her professional journey: “It was my first exposure to the area of law I practice now, competition law, and I absolutely loved it. It was a real lightbulb moment for me.”
Anna also offers advice for young women finding their feet in the profession: “Having female role models in your career is a very powerful thing; I love supporting my female colleagues, knowing first-hand how impactful it can be.”
Fiona agrees, pointing out that support is an essential part of creating a gender diverse profession: “I was at a conference earlier this year, and someone said something that stuck with me: when you’re burning down the patriarchy, don’t use other women as kindling. We would be doing more damage than good if we’re scrambling over each other to get to the top.”
Click here to read about all 49 winners – and congratulations again to Fiona and Anna!
