By Azal Khan -
Holly Lam is President of the Women Lawyers Association of NSW and a senior associate at HWL Ebsworth Lawyers.
She specialises in insolvency and general commercial litigation, advising and appearing in State and Federal Courts in relation to Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) matters, misleading and deceptive conduct claims, and shareholder/partnership disputes. Lam holds a Bachelor of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from UTS and a Bachelor of Laws from UNSW and is a Champion of the First 100 Years project.
Who has had the greatest influence on your legal career?
It’s a mix of people. It sounds so crazy, but Shirley Schmidt from Boston Legal is the epitome of the perfect woman lawyer. The altruistic among us tend to become lawyers because we want to do good. We want to help the little guy. We want to fight injustice. For me, former Justice Michael Kirby has always been that person.
Within the Women Lawyers Association (WLA) network, we are fortunate to have the support of amazing trailblazing women. Our patron, Justice Jane Mathews, was the first woman judge of the NSW District Court then the Supreme Court. Quite amazing. Professor Rosalind Croucher, who is the head of the Australian Human Rights Commission, is just phenomenal. She’s given me so much invaluable advice, as has her predecessor, Professor Gillian Triggs.
