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Walkers W www.lawyer-monthly.com

JANUARY 2013

omen in law

Leading the way for Ingrid Pierce, Walkers

Leading international financial law firm Walkers recently announced that Ingrid Pierce has been appointed as Global Managing Partner of the firm. This appointment is particularly special as Ingrid is the first ever female global managing partner for a major offshore law firm. This month, Lawyer Monthly’s Claire Middleton spoke exclusively to Ingrid about her election and the goals she hopes to achieve within this exciting new role.

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peaking about her feelings about being the first female global managing partner of a firm like Walkers and what she hopes to achieve, Ingrid

explained: “To be perfectly honest, the fact that I am the first female in such a role didn't occur to me until someone mentioned it in the context of a story about my election. Having said that, it is pretty exciting!

“It would be great to clear up some misconceptions about the offshore world and have more people discover the benefits of small international financial centres: they bring a good deal to the global economy. As a firm, I want us to focus on continuing to deliver

top notch service and exceeding our clients' expectations. We have some terrific people who work very hard and my hope is that they feel engaged by the work, motivated by each other and satisfied with what they do.”

I was interested to find out if Ingrid feels it is harder for women to succeed in the world of law than men, a question to which she answered: “It can be, but it very much depends on the firm culture. Sometimes it is just a function of women being out of the work place for a period of time to have children and that can slow down progression. On the other hand I know many women who are raising children and working their socks off in a legal career and are highly