Felicity Cooper: 'Practicing in the public sector was a no-brainer'

When Felicity Cooper made the career transition from a senior role at KPMG Law to Proximity, flexibility was a major reason why. The mother of two (and soon three) believes that firms are getting better at recognising how being more supportive of mothers improves talent retention.

However, Cooper also believes that the profession can do more to support parents as a whole. In the second part of this interview, Cooper highlights Australia’s record-low birthrate, organisations pulling back on flexibility, and continuing a family legacy.

How did you get started in law, and why made you decide to specialise in working with the public sector?

I benefited from the mentorship of a fantastic high school Legal Studies teacher, who single-handedly changed my future career plans from the sciences to law. I did my Year 11 work experience at a malaria research institute (!); however, by the time my final year of schooling started I was well and truly set on law.

As a person who is naturally drawn to logic, order and structure, I loved that the law offered a framework to make sense of uncertainty and complexity. These days, given the nuance and complexity that all legal practitioners navigate, I often look back very amused at my naivety! Practicing in the public sector was a no-brainer. I grew up in an army family, where service to country and community was strongly ingrained in me. Practicing law with and for government, on meaningful projects that make Australians lives better, is the way that I continue that legacy of service.

You highlighted flexibility as being a factor in this career move – what do you think the legal profession can do to better support women in law who are mothers like yourself?

Recent news about Australia's record-low birthrate shows that we still have a long way to go in supporting parents (not just mothers) in the workplace. For me, the key factor which has enabled me to continue participating in the workforce since becoming a mother is flexibility - when employers have trusted me, as a professional, to determine how, where and when to work in a way that suits me, my family, and my clients.

I am concerned that the flexibility that enabled many parents to continue participating in the workforce during the COVID years is gradually being wound back, and this will have long-term ramifications for people's decisions to start or expand families. Law firms have the additional challenge of not just having these arrangements in place internally, but also reinforcing them with clients. We all operate in a mentality of wanting to go over and above for our clients, however the real challenge is doing so whilst still maintaining boundaries, and having a firm that supports you in this.

What initiatives are already in place that you feel have helped you to feel more supported in the profession?

I have benefitted from the broader shift in law firm culture from time/billables to being strongly outcomes-focused. I work part-time at Proximity and, whereas in the past this may have limited my career prospects, I feel my working arrangements are hardly noticeable because the focus is on what I achieve for my clients rather than how much time I spend working. Firms are also becoming much better at taking a long-term view and recognising that supporting mothers in the somewhat "disrupted" years when they are having and raising children does yield long-term benefits in retaining productive employees.

I have two young children and, weeks before commencing with Proximity, I was surprised and happy to discover that I was expecting my third child. Proximity have been incredibly understanding and flexible in accommodating this development, working closely with me on a plan to ensure that my career progression, goals and objectives are not impacted in either the short or long-term.

With the holidays coming up, how do you plan to close out 2024?

I have only recently returned from a family holiday to Europe, so it will be a quiet Christmas at home this year. Many people leave Canberra over the summer, so it is very peaceful and one of my favourite times of year to be here. We will no doubt do a few day trips to the creeks and natural swimming spots around town, and probably be at the local pool daily!