When I was in primary school I discovered that lawyers got paid to argue. I liked to argue and decided to become a lawyer when I grew up.

I have had an amazing legal career representing employees and trade unions in a lot of fascinating cases. Along the way, I have also developed niche areas of practise; representing sacked rabbis, suing judges for sexual harassment, and acting for many women in media and the arts.

Lawyers write a lot. But there’s writing as a lawyer and then there’s writing like a human being. The former requires a linear, logical, chronological expression, devoid of emotion. The somewhat inconvenient truth is that I was inspired to try and write like a human being again by social media. My first experiences of Twitter were incredibly intellectually stimulating. I discovered fabulous commentary, articles and essays from writers across the world including Masha Gessen, Jason Stanley, Anne Applebaum, and Naomi Klein, and I devoured them. And then there was the art, music, gastronomy, comedy, and talented aphorists that were on offer. All of that material was enough to inspire me to start writing essays and articles.

The legal writing orthodoxy was jettisoned as I sought to intervene in debates about
economics, politics, culture, and yes, the law.

My first book, Working for the Brand (Scribe), deals with censorship and cancel culture,
arguing that free speech is now routinely sacrificed at the altar of corporate brand and risk
management. Having joined the Board of ASA in the midst of the worst censorship crisis
since the McCarthyist era, I want to assist the Board and Australian writers to navigate this anti-democratic phenomenon.