Miriam Stiel – August 2007
Partner
Sydney
Miriam.Stiel@aar.com.au
View CV
One
of the things which I find particularly exciting about my work is that I get the opportunity
to learn all about a client's business and to meet with a large number of people at all levels
across the organisation.
Growing up as a fan of television courtroom dramas such as LA Law, it's no surprise that Miriam Stiel envisaged a career as a litigator when she began studying law.
Her subsequent experience, which has led to her being appointed a partner on 1 July this year, has left her in no doubt that she made the right choice.
'The reality has lived up to my early expectations. While there are certainly aspects of litigation that lack the glamour and excitement of what is portrayed on television, at the end of the day, going to court and resolving disputes is what being a lawyer is all about for me,' she says.
Miriam's litigation practice is focused predominantly on intellectual property and she enjoys the broad exposure and variety this brings.
'I work for clients from a whole range of diverse industries, so the work is always varied. One of the things which I find particularly exciting about my work is that I get the opportunity to learn all about a client's business and to meet with a large number of people at all levels across the organisation.'
After studying arts and law at the University of Sydney, Miriam worked as an associate to a judge in the Supreme Court of NSW, and started working full-time at Allen Allen & Hemsley (as the firm then was) in August 1997. She started in the litigation department and has remained there since, apart from an 18-month secondment to Sony Computer Entertainment.
Miriam, who essentially practised as in-house counsel during her secondment, as well as establishing the company's national anti-piracy campaign, says that her time outside the firm was invaluable for her professional and personal development.
'It made me appreciate how the work we do as lawyers can have an impact throughout the whole company,' she says. 'I also built personal relationships at different levels of the organisation and developed a deeper understanding of how clients perceive lawyers.'
Although she enjoyed the secondment experience, Miriam was glad to return to the firm because of the variety of work she is exposed to and the number of clients she has.
She has been involved in a number of major disputes during her time at the firm, including working on the Australian aspects of multinational disputes. Miriam says she finds it interesting to see the differences between legal systems in other countries and how a matter can be decided differently in different jurisdictions.
As a lover of sport, Miriam particularly enjoys her work in this area of law, including being a part of the team that acted for the International Rugby Board as the Official Law Firm for Rugby World Cup 2003 and she has recently been involved in helping former Wallabies captain George Gregan set up his charitable foundation.
Miriam's advice to young lawyers is to always be open to opportunities.
'When I was offered the chance to go on secondment, I was quite daunted because it was pretty early on in my career and I was taking on a role with considerable responsibility. There were no other in-house lawyers there to turn to for advice, but the opportunities that it presented were invaluable.
'I think that it is good to be exposed to a variety of work – it really helps expand your horizons and gives you different insights.'
Miriam has a young son and daughter and says that maintaining a work-life balance is a priority for her.
'I did not face any particular challenges as a woman in my career until it became time to look at the issue of having children,' she says.
'I was worried that taking time out of my career to have children would put me at a disadvantage compared to my male contemporaries, but that did not happen – I was actually nominated for partnership while I was on maternity leave. Coming back to work part-time after having children was also a challenge. However, I have enjoyed great support from the people I work with, which has really helped me to adjust to my role as a working mother.'
