Karen Grumley, Pacific National legal counsel, is the new Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Australia national president.
Karen Grumley, Pacific National legal counsel, has been elected Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Australia National President. Grumley has been an in-house lawyer for more than nine years, rising through the ranks at Aurizon before moving on to Pacific National in October. She has also been director and national vice president of ACC Australia, as well as Queensland president of the organisation. She started her legal career at Kenny & Co. before moving to Gadens.
Ms Grumley is committed to ensuring that ACC Australia has in place the tools, services, connections and education offerings members require to assist their organisations to succeed in transforming their businesses in a digital age.
“In-house lawyers are no longer just lawyers,” Ms Grumley says. “Increasingly, our members are becoming an integral part of the senior management team as organisations come to grips with the risks and legal challenges of the 21st century. Of course, we need the legal skills, but equally importantly for today’s in-house lawyers, they must know and understand the business, be commercially oriented and a respected adviser to the Board and senior management team.
“The other issue I will focus on in my tenure as National President, will be the need for our members to focus on their health and well-being. It was been well documented that the legal profession is struggling to overcome physical and mental health issues and in-house lawyers are no exception. As President I will be encouraging members to look after themselves and their colleagues. We need to support each other, build healthy in-house legal teams to secure a sustainable and fulfilling future."
In-house lawyers constitute approximately 30 per cent of the total Australian legal profession or about 14,000 practitioners, making the role of the ACC Australia vital for the furthering and advancement of the profession.
Posted 11.12.17
