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Corrs draws new arts focus
For lawyers keen to make it in the arts world, Corrs Chambers Westgarth is the place to be.
Olivia Collings
For legal professionals keen to make it in the arts world, Corrs Chambers Westgarth is the place to be.
After Corrs CEO, John Denton, was appointed as deputy chair of the Australian Council for the Arts, a tipster pointed out to The New Lawyer that many Corrs staff are active on numerous arts boards or councils across the country.
Does Corrs attract the artistic types or does it foster an artistic streak? The firm has taken on several art-types, not least the chair of The Australia Council, James Strong, who is a former national chairman of partners at Corrs.
Indeed Strong has been active in the arts world for many years, with stints as chairman of the Sydney Theatre Company and the Australia Business Arts Foundation, as well as a board member for Opera Australia.
Denton himself is also deputy chair of the Melbourne International Arts Festival, as well as a councillor for the Victorian chapter of the Australian Business Arts Foundation.
Minister for the Arts, Peter Garrett, said the pair will make "a considerably contribution to supporting and celebrating the creative endeavour".
Adding colour to this picture is news that Corrs partner, Janet Whiting, was last month appointed as the new president of the Victorian Arts Centre Trust. Whiting, who has been a trustee of the arts centre since 2002, has been actively involved in the not-for-profit sector for many years, and she currently holds the roles of deputy chairman of the Victorian Major Events Company and is a director of the Royal Women's Hospital.
Fellow associate at Corrs, Frances Wheelahan, is making her mark in the art world as deputy chair of Next Wave, Australia’s leading festival for young artists and arts workers. She has been involved with the biennial event since 2003 and worked at the Performing Arts Museum and the Alfred Brash Soundhouse at the Victoria Arts Centre during her degree.
Both women follow in the footsteps of former Corrs employee Katherine Sampson, who served on various arts boards in Victoria including Craft Victoria and the Melbourne International Arts Festival.
Up in Queensland, Corrs isn’t lacking on the arts scene either with solicitor Joanne Dwyer, a member on the Playlab board. Playlab is a not-for-profit script development and playwright development agency, funded by the Queensland State Government, through Arts Queensland.
If your firm has a strong presence in another field or you know of other Corrs staff involved in the arts, contact The New Lawyer Here.
