Searle faces new challenges

Learning to adapt to changing circumstances is a key component in long-term professional survival, according to former teacher, lawyer, barrister, and now tax partner at Ernst & Young, Celia Searle.

“Your life and your career shouldn’t be a sprint. Hopefully you will be doing both for a long time, so you should enjoy it,” she told WA Business News.

As the newly inaugurated Law Society president, Ms Searle will no doubt have a busy year, and she has several issues in the profession that she wants to draw attention to.

“There are a lot of issues facing the law society. It will be interesting to see the difference that SAT and the Court of Appeal make in the system,” Ms Searle said.

“Compulsory legal education will also come into place at some stage, which will be interesting.

“There is a big issue with work/ life balance which a lot of lawyers find hard.

“I think lawyers also don’t get enough recognition for the pro bono work they do. I am not aware of any other professions putting in the monetary value of time and effort,” Ms Searle said.

Ms Searle started her work life as a teacher but after three years realised that she was not suited to the profession.

“It wasn’t me in the long term; I like solving problems,” she said.

“But my time as a teacher taught me to always find something good in people and work on that.”

She decided to study law and, two years after being admitted as a lawyer in 1984, Ms Searle had her first and only child.

“I had three months off when I had my son and worked part-time for another three months,” she said.

“I also worked part-time from when he was eight to 13, because I felt he needed that.

“Now that he is older I have a lot more time to pursue outside interests. I am very into music and I’m currently learning to sing.”

Ms Searle said the expectations put on women having professional careers made their challenges undoubtedly harder, and the growing number of women beginning professional careers hasn’t solved the problem.

“There is clearly a lot of talent out there, but for the legal profession especially, there is a challenge for firms to compete with the government in terms of providing career opportunities women need,” she said.

“The old boys’ network refers work, and the old girls’ network refers recipes.

“There seems to be a culture where women don’t seek work or contacts through their networks.”

Ms Searle has been with Ernst & Young for just over a year after deciding to leave the bar.

“I miss the court work and the personal level of helping people, and it was a very hard decision to make, but it was the right one,” she said.

“I enjoy the team work and the support here. At the bar you run your own business and spend weekends doing BAS statements, and I didn’t like that.”

Ms Searle is currently a member of the Federal Takeovers Panel and has in the past been on the LandCorp and Rottnest boards.

“Board processes are really interesting.

“You have to be solution focused, and work together to achieve those solutions.”

CELIA SEARLE 

• Former teacher, lawyer, barrister, and now tax partner at Ernst & Young.
• Law Society president.
• Member of the Federal Takeovers Panel and has in the past been on the LandCorp and Rottnest boards.