60 Seconds with Shirley Blair of A&L Goodbody

Tell us about your role and your organisation.
I am an Of Counsel at A&L Goodbody (ALG), a leading commercial law firm in Belfast. The 'Of Counsel' role is a new position that the firm has developed for solicitors who are at partner level in terms of their technical skills but, for whatever personal reason they may have, they have chosen not to pursue the partnership route. It's a great testament to the firm's appreciation of people wanting flexibility in their career path. I'm delighted to be the first Of Counsel in the Belfast office and thoroughly enjoying the role. I specialise in Employment and Education Law, both of which are hugely interesting, challenging and very rewarding areas to practice in. I work with a very broad range of fantastic clients – from manufacturers, retailers and multi-national financial institutions to schools. I love the diversity of my role.
 

Give us a brief overview of your career journey so far…
My initial degree is in Psychology, a subject I'm fascinated by. I almost started a Masters in Clinical Psychology but had discovered a real interest in law whilst studying a Postgraduate Diploma and that persuaded me to make the switch. I've never looked back. I find that there is so much psychology involved within Employment Law. I'm so fortunate to be working in a discipline that combines the things I'm particularly interested in.  I trained and worked in a large commercial firm in England for 13 years before the call of home came in 2010. I began working for ALG shortly after that and have been very much enjoying my career here since. ALG is a fantastic firm, providing the highest standard of legal advice to a brilliant client base. We're all about giving pragmatic advice and looking ahead for what's coming down the tracks for our clients and I love that cutting edge, thought leader approach.

Describe yourself in 3 words.
This is the hardest question to answer as I think I'm quite adaptable in different situations and trying to pin a lawyer down to three words can be quite a challenge! The best I can go with is: determined, resilient and (hopefully) fun. 

What is one skill that helps you most in your role?
My role is multi-faceted and involves helping clients resolve workplace issues and managing the team within the firm. I feel that I can read and react to people and situations well, which in turn helps with analysing employment law issues, developing appropriate strategies and solutions and, more generally, in working with people successfully.

What advice do you have for women in your industry?
I love the quote, "Find a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life". I can't quite say that I never feel that I'm working… but I do genuinely get such a buzz out of employment law that sometimes it doesn't feel like work. Clearly not every day can be like that though and my advice would be to take some time to build good networks with other like-minded women to help when the going is tough. I've been very fortunate to work for and with some amazing women. Similarly, outside of work I've aligned myself with some very strong and dynamic women and that has been invaluable in helping spur me on when life can be so demanding. There are a few of us that regularly remind each other of the other mantra that I love: "It's not what happens to you but how you react to it that matters". As a senior leader in a business there are of course lots of challenges that come my way but if you can draw on the support around you, that will inevitably help you face them positively and in turn that cements those relationships further.
 
Are there any exciting plans in the year ahead in your organisation that you can share with us? 
As a leading corporate law firm, we're very focussed on the bigger picture of our position in the business community and beyond. Diversity and Inclusion is a big firm-wide focus – we currently hold the Silver Diversity Mark and are now working towards the gold accreditation. This focus on D&I, alongside our focus on CSR, sees us involved in a range of initiatives where we share our skills and knowledge with the wider community. In a busy corporate world it's rewarding to get the opportunity to focus on these types of initiatives.
 
Who has been your biggest career inspiration and why?
There are lots of people that I could choose from the business community but in all honesty, I would say it's Rafael Nadal. I'm a huge tennis fan and have always watched and admired his absolute dogged determination to work hard and succeed. I particularly love his approach to leaving behind a lost point and immediately moving forward on a positive basis to the next one. I find that so relatable from a business perspective. The very nature of our work is to face tough challenges and to work hard to succeed at them for the benefit of our clients. Life in business can mean that not everything goes your way all the time.  I'm a firm believer that hard work and a positive spirit will take anyone far.
 
If you had to pick your soundtrack song to get you through the working day, what would it be?
I'm very changeable when it comes to music but at the minute I'm still in post-Slane Harry Styles mode and listening to lots of Satellite, As It Was etc.
  
What's your favourite break-time snack?
This is the easiest question: Orange Toblerone. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it!

You can connect with Shirley on LinkedIn and keep up to date with the A&L Goodbody team here.