Ms Mulhern was named Corporate Lawyer of the Year by the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACLA) last Thursday. Since joining Telstra's in-house team in July 2000 and quickly rising to the role of general counsel, Ms Mulhern has lead several major transactions at the telecom company. These include overseeing the T2 and T3 privatisations and leading negotiations for the National Broadband Network rollout with the Commonwealth Government and NBN Co. In addition to claiming the ACLA's top individual award, Ms Mulhern's in-house team – which includes over 200 legal staff across Australia, Asia, the US and the UK – was named Legal Team of the Year in the large corporation category.

Showcasing Female Talent

Ms Mulhern was one of a suite of female lawyers whose talents were recognised last week with awards from the ACLA. Newly appointed association president Gillian Wong commented that the awards provide encouraging evidence that women are breaking through the glass ceiling of the Australian legal sector. Also among top prize-takers were cruise company Carnival Australia's assistant general counsel Lauren Miller, who was named Young Lawyer of the Year, and Kate Teixeira, whose in-house team at engineering firm Cummins was awarded Legal Team of the Year in the small company category. Government Lawyer of the Year was awarded to Marian Moss, who serves as assistant secretary and chief lawyer for the Australian government's Department of Indigenous Affairs and Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Authentic Leadership

Earlier this month, Ms Mulhern addressed delegates at The Global Legal Post's GC Futures Summit in London, offering her thoughts on in-house leadership from the perspective of a female GC. In her address, Ms Mulhern emphasised authenticity as crucial to the effectiveness of in-house leaders, male or female, assuring delegates that there was 'no one way' to be an effective leader and advising that each GC should embrace a leadership style that feels organic to them. Maintaining a strong and diverse pool of talent among in-house teams is also crucial, Ms Mulhern suggested, arguing that companies with diverse client bases need a diverse legal team to match if they are to ensure that the work of in-house lawyers stays customer-focused and commercially driven. Sources: Australian Financial Review; ACLA