A former lawyer turned community manager at LawVu and InView, Emma now spends her days bringing in-house legal professionals together through global events, podcasts, and online connection. Whether she’s hosting the Legal Leaders Podcast or leading the charge on InView Connect conferences, Emma’s work sits at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, and community.
At home in New Zealand, she’s also a mum to a three-year-old and a firm believer that structure only works if it bends. Between daycare runs, early-morning workouts, and focus blocks on her calendar, she’s learned that balance isn’t a formula — it’s a practice. In our chat, Emma shares how she stays organised without burning out, what she’s learned from interviewing leaders around the world, and why clear communication might just be the kindest habit of all.
How do your mornings usually start? Are you someone who likes structure, or do you keep it flexible depending on the day?
I very much love structure and predictability but I have learnt that often, plans are thrown out the window so for me, having a more fluid day avoids frustration at the change of plans. I have a 3 year old son so my day will normally start getting him ready for daycare and if I can squeeze it in, some form of exercise (I am a better human the mornings I exercise). Work wise, I need to clear my slack/emails before I can get into any real thinking work so that is always my first port of call.
You’ve transitioned from law into community management. What sparked that shift, and how has it changed the way you think about work?
It is not a career shift I planned in any way if I am honest. When I first made the decision that practicing law wasn’t for me, I was living in Sydney and made a move into legal recruitment. This kept me close in some ways to the law but not having to act as a lawyer myself. It also showed me I didn’t miss being a lawyer so I had made the right call. When I moved back to NZ, by pure chance I learnt about LawVu, a legal tech company that is headquartered in my home town.
I joined LawVu as their Talent Acquisition Manager and after a couple of years in that role assisting the company grow, I felt that a change was needed – I started our Legal Leaders Podcast which had me speaking to our InView Community on a regular basis and it was there that I felt a real pull to being more involved with our community of in-house legal professionals.
Between running events, hosting a podcast, and supporting your community, your calendar must get pretty full. How do you stay organised without feeling overwhelmed?
Like with all roles, there is always more that could be done and with so much opportunity and potential to go after it can be really challenging to stay focused. I think for me, blocking focus time in my calendar and having a clear idea at the start of the week of the three key things I want to achieve helps me ensure that I don’t get caught up being reactive and am always making progress with strategic goals. I am also a mum to a three year old and I think becoming a parent has shown me how productive you can be when you set yourself time blocks to get things done!
What’s something surprising or insightful you’ve learned from interviewing legal leaders on the podcast?
That no journey is the same. It may sound obvious but my initial thoughts when I was going to be interviewing lots of legal leaders from around the world is that they would have had a similar career trajectory but I was quickly proven wrong. I guess that is what makes them all such strong leaders in their own right as their journeys to get there have been so different. It’s a good reminder to never compare your journey to someone else’s and focus on the skills and lessons learnt on the way.
Do you have any personal habits or boundaries that help you protect your time and energy during busy seasons like conference planning?
Event planning has been the biggest learning curve for me! Aside from planning my own wedding, it’s not something I had experience in, especially global events with 150 people. For me, boundaries are key. There are often early or late meetings to work with time zones so getting that time back whether that be starting a bit later so you can exercise or signing off a bit earlier if you are coming back online later for evening calls – that was a way that I would look after myself and ensure I could see the event through.
What do you do to recharge when you’re not deep in logistics or community conversations?
Time with family and friends, walks by the beach or reformer pilates, going out to a new restaurant or café – dining out is definitely a hobby of mine.
Finally, what advice would you give to someone working in a high-performance, high-responsibility role who’s trying to create more balance in their life?
Find what works for you and communicate it with your team. We don’t all have the same working habits and within reason, you need to create a day that is going to work for you. I love the saying it is kind to be clear; clearly communicate what you are doing and when, carve out breaks that work with you and set boundaries so you have the ability to keep up with a fast paced role.
