PDC Lawyers and Planners director Lorri Field has taken out the Regional Lawyer of the Year Award at the NSW Women's Lawyers Association Awards run by The Women Lawyers' Association of NSW.
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Ms Field was a finalist in three categories and was one of several Illawarra lawyers in the running for the honour of being named Regional Lawyer of the Year.
She said it was incredible to walk away with the win in such a strong field.
"I'm ecstatic. This is fantastic," she said.
Ms Field said PDC was unique in that it is both a law firm and a town planning business.
"We have been up and running now for three years," she said.
"We have successfully been growing a multidisciplinary practice in law and town planning.
"When I first came on board we had one admin assistant and we are now up to eight employees and we have two offices. We have one in Nowra and one in Wollongong.
"At the core of our business is people - both our team and our clients. We aim to be an integral part of their team facilitating the growth of their business and property developments in the Shoalhaven and Illawarra".
"Our firm has a focus on doing things differently and we are striving for an environment moving away from time recording and billing (a major cause of undue pressure and unhealthy work environments in legal practice) and being proactive with flexible work practices. This creates incentives for innovation and does not have the same rewards for inefficiency that traditional time based billing exhibits".
Ms Field said she is the only female accredited specialist in commercial litigation in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven.
She said there are now a high proportion of women in the law however numbers at director/partnership level are comparatively low.
"We have ample ability to do the job however unfortunately the playing field is not yet level," she said.
"I hope to change this by setting an example and not creating obstacles for the advancement of women in our practice".
Ms Field said the team at PDC were very supportive and encouraged her to enter the awards.
The lawyer of 11 years said she wants to contribute to the Illawarra community in many ways not just law.
"I hope to positively contribute to the community both through our business and through my involvement in community organisations," she said.
"I sit on the management committee of SAHSSI (Supported Accommodation and Homelessness Service of Shoalhaven and Illawarra) and Squash Illawarra".
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
