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What makes an award-winning government team?
Lawyers Weekly spoke with the winner of Government Team of the Year, Proximity, from this year’s 2022 Australian Law Awards to uncover the insights of an award-winning government team.
Jess Feyder
“Proximity is thrilled to be joining an elite group of previous winners of this award,” said Irene Ghobreal, national lead of commercial law at Proximity.
“This is increasingly placing pressure on our clients who are at the coalface of policy development and delivery of services for government across many industries and sectors.
“The challenge for them is to deliver innovative and excellent government services in a reactive and timely manner whilst under these pressures.
“We assist clients to do this by going further and providing them with timely strategic legal advice as part of their team, part of our integrated services model,” she said.
She noted that the key opportunities for government work lie in the ability to integrate legal, commercial and policy solutions, and deliver them through a whole-of-government approach.
“More and more of our clients are coming to us under our integrated model to seek this assistance, as we offer a variety of solutions to their problems,” she said.
Ms Ghobreal also discussed opportunities, “growth in government is noticeable in these sector areas – climate change, national security, royal commissions, Australian manufacturing, health, and defence”.
Lawyers Weekly asked her about how lawyers can assume best practice in the government space, and she responded that it is important to collaborate effectively, actively participate in thought leadership, find solutions and focus on the achievements of government teams.
“Also of importance is having a broad understanding of the laws, policies, politics, and culture of the government sector,” she added.
Lawyers can best serve clients in the government space by being bold thinkers and effective collaborators, Ms Ghobreal said, which includes being solutions-oriented and outcomes-focused whilst being realistic about the challenges faced.
She gave advice for lawyers practising in the government space: “Getting to know your clients and understanding their pressure points, their needs and the outcomes they are trying to achieve, is crucial to a successful client lawyer relationship.”
To become an award-winning firm, you must have values that are shared by the people in your organisation, your clients and your community, she stated.
“Proximity’s values: genuine, bold, and helpful, are always front of mind and we are always playing to our strengths.
“To receive industry recognition for our approach is a testament to unique methods and an outstanding team.
“Our staff have been celebrating this achievement and continue to look forward to serving and working with our government clients,” she stated.
