Bilardi hints at what market he's got an eye on, and Matthews gives two important pieces of advice
In the third instalment of Australasian Lawyer’s interview with DLA Piper Australia leaders Shane Bilardi and Amber Matthews, they discussed how outgoing country managing partner Matthews and incoming successor Bilardi are facilitating the transition. In the last part of this interview, they share their different DLA Piper journeys, and Matthews gives Bilardi two crucial pieces of leadership advice.
As a homegrown star, what keeps you at DLA Piper. Amber?
Amber Matthews: It's pretty rare nowadays, and there’s elements of admiration and trepidation – how can you stay with the same firm your whole career? But I've done lots of different things throughout that time and held different roles. I've lived in London and in Sydney. I've been very fortunate to have had such an interesting and varied career in law in DLA Piper.
I tell our junior lawyers and summer clerks that this is the kind of opportunity that you can get working with a global law firm. It's not always about following the traditional path of becoming a partner in a practice group in a specific area of law for your whole life. You can move around different places and roles.
What I've found here is that we have that enthusiasm and drive. We strive to do better but also have a lot of fun in the process. We're a very human firm. Every firm has its own culture, and our culture has been one that I think really nurtures its talent. I've been the beneficiary of that. Our culture is also quite open minded about supporting people in doing different things.
I've really enjoyed that culture – that and the people are what's kept me here. The thing I've loved the most about [the Australia country managing partner] role is that I’ve gotten to know so many people across the business, both in Australia and internationally. That people connection has been the best part of the role.
Shane, how did you get started with DLA Piper, and what keeps you here?
Shane Bilardi: I moved to DLA Piper in 2019 just before COVID with a team of partners. We liked the strategy of the firm being a global player – it was a growing firm able to reposition itself in the market. We also looked at the opportunities that interested us in sectors like energy transition and digital infrastructure.
Ultimately, it was the people – we found that they thought about things in the same way. Law firms can be ambitious and outward with a sense of fun and responsibility. This is a job that comes with a certain level of expectation and pressure, and with opportunity comes responsibility. It’s rewarding when you can do it with like-minded people, and you stay because you form these friendships and relationships that are so important.
Shane, can you tell us about an initiative or project that’s a priority for you when you become Australia country managing partner?
Shane Bilardi: That’s a really good question, and unfortunately, it's probably not one I have an answer for yet because I'm only a few weeks into the transition. Probably the first phase of any process like that is making sure you're fully informed about the nature of the firm. As Amber said, it's a very broad role – DLA Piper is a full-service firm in Australia and is part of a global firm as well. I have a deep knowledge of the corporate team and the work that I'm familiar with, but I need to get around and talk to partners and people and make sure that I have a deeper level of understanding before I start making those decisions.
That's why it's good that I have confidence in the current strategy because I don't feel there's any immediate need for change. I’ll just continue with what we're doing, and then I'll have a chance towards the second quarter of, say, next year to start thinking about how we adapt the strategy.
We're conscious of what's happening out there in the market, and we see the movements in other firms. The importance of the US market keeps escalating – happily, we have a significant US presence, so I'm sure that's going to be high on my radar as we continue to build that bond with the US branch. The US has always been the largest market in the world for legal services, but I think it's now taking a really central role.
Amber, if you could give Shane just one piece of advice, what would that be?
Amber Matthews: Oh, that’s actually a really hard question – how can I possibly bring it down to one?
I guess I would say that this is a really rewarding role, a very people-driven role. You need to create change through influence. So, my advice to Shane is to develop good relationships with the partners. Then just have courage to implement change because sometimes it's difficult and you need the courage of your conviction. You know what you want to do, but having the courage to see it through is sometimes difficult – yet that's what leaders need to do.
