In addition to being a star in property law, she has performed in front of big crowds as a pro dancer
WRP Legal & Advisory’s Constance Bouras was once scouted by a talent agency as a uni student. She has performed in front of big crowds as part of a professional dance group, and continues to do so to this day while honing her skills in law.
Bouras, who was elevated to associate in July, wants to see conversations about gender in “as many arenas and platforms as possible”, believing that addressing the issue of gender parity starts at the top. In this interview conducted shortly after her promotion, Bouras discusses why she picked property law, the cost pressures on legal services, and becoming a leader to juniors.
What made you choose a career in law, and what's your favourite part of the job?
I have always had an interest in pursuing a career in law, particularly in the property and commercial sector. This is because growing up I was always around an environment with my grandparents, and parents, being involved in property development. For the last eight years, my mum also made the transition from a career in medical science to conveyancing which gave me more insight in the property industry.
My favourite part of the job is bringing clients’ goals, ideas, and objectives that they are trying to achieve, to a successful outcome.
What tech-related initiatives adopted by the organisation, if any, are you most excited about?
The most recent development of WRP is the creation of an intranet system. Contributing to the content of the new intranet system for the commercial and property practice areas has been beneficial and created more streamlined processes within the firm.
What has been your proudest accomplishment in the last year or so?
My proudest accomplishment to date is being elevated to associate.
What’s the biggest lesson you learned in the past year and what advice can you give fellow lawyers about it?
The biggest lesson I have learnt in the past year is that each individual has their own pathway of success. Personally, I have found that planning and setting goals, working hard, staying focused and putting my mind to what I want to achieve, gives me clear priorities, positivity and energy to continue on that path and reach my ambitions.
The advice I can give to fellow lawyers is despite the heavy workload and office pressures, it is important to keep a work-life balance as this will help with maintaining focus on your goals. Don’t let yourself be derailed. Believe that you can achieve it and you will.
What should the profession focus more on?
As with many industries and sectors, gender parity is a continued issue facing the legal profession. Unless firms set gender parity targets within their business plan objectives and measure these goals appropriately, we won’t see a change. Leadership of legal firms will drive real results, otherwise we will continue to struggle on this topic and fall behind other sectors. We need to expand the conversation across as many arenas and platforms as possible.
What are the challenges you expect in your practice, and in the business of law in general, going forward? What challenges are particularly pressing in the country’s legal industry?
The cost pressures on legal services comes at a risk of lower quality and less diligence across our industry. For instance, online services aiming to undercut competition, and producing a negative experience and outcome for the client, reflects poorly on the industry as a whole.
What are you looking forward to the most in the coming year?
I am looking forward to continuing to grow and develop my legal skillset as a young lawyer, as well as taking on a leadership role to juniors joining WRP Legal & Advisory.
If you weren’t in law, what do you think you’d be doing as a career?
I have a second degree in commerce, specialising in marketing. So, if I decided to not pursue a legal career, I would most likely have pursued a marketing career.
In my spare time I am also part of a professional dance group, performing at major events which is something I enjoy doing outside of my law career. At one point during my university studies, I was approached by a Melbourne-based acting talent agency, but I decided to stick with law.
