How two women are sharing the General Counsel role at Wesley Mission Queensland

Job sharing is not something usually associated with senior legal roles but that is exactly what’s happening at Wesley Mission Queensland (WMQ) with Co-General Counsels Tala Prowd and Helena Kolenbet.

Having previously worked together in separate roles for more than six years, Tala had been toying with how a job share role with Helena could work. When she saw an advertisement for a full-time Senior Legal Counsel role at WMQ, she knew this could be the perfect place to pitch her plan.

Tala was upfront with WMQ about her idea and was met with a resounding “go for it!” Although neither had worked in not-for-profit before, as a duo they had more than 30 years of experience in various legal roles and sectors. They showed how their previous legal work covered a wider range of legal knowledge; more than just one person could hold.

WMQ was so progressive in that sense in that they didn't try and pick holes in it. They could see the benefits straight away and they just went with it. It was all very organic.

– Tala Prowd.

As Tala stated, ‘By having both of us, you get a super lawyer.’ And they made the important point that if one is sick or goes on holiday, the other is still available to provide support.

'We were prepared in that we were very clear about how it could work from the start. I would work these days, Helena would work these days, these days we would have crossover. We made it clear that we would manage our work and the relationship between ourselves and that is what we have done,' Tala said.

Both agree that from the beginning, WMQ were very responsive to their job-share idea.

And it wasn’t long before WMQ promoted Helena and Tala to Co-General Counsel, further championing both the phenomenal work of these amazing women and the job-sharing arrangement.

WMQ pioneering job-sharing in legal leadership roles

Wesley Mission Queensland (WMQ) is one of the first organisations to support this job-sharing idea for a General Counsel role with Helena and Tala confirming that this arrangement is almost unheard of in other workplaces.

After both returned from maternity leave earlier in their careers and looked for part-time roles, they were met with minimal opportunities and support in the legal sector. ‘Truth be known, I thought my career aspirations were limited because of my requirement to only work a three-day week,’ said Tala.

Tala was able to do secondment work which she says was great in the short-term but not long-term. ‘The elephant in the room is that there’s very limited career progression opportunities for part-time lawyers. You can never become Law firm Partner or General Counsel. If you’re part-time, there’s a ceiling,’ she said.

Helena was fortunate to find a part-time role with a newly established firm following her return from maternity leave however, she and Tala agreed that although they were part-time on paper, it did not feel this way in practice.

We’re really passionate about this and what we’re doing here. And our working arrangement is something that we hope more people become aware of.

– Tala Prowd.

The work/life balance they had both aspired for was starting to feel unattainable. Helena even took some time off work and returned to a recruitment and HR role for a secondment law firm which is where she originally met Tala.

‘I actually hired her [Tala],’ Helena laughed. And when Helena decided to return to legal work, Tala effectively hired her right back, with Helena transitioning into the legal team which Tala managed. As the years went by and their friendship grew, Tala heard about two women who were job-sharing a legal role. She wondered if that could be the answer to her search for professional and personal fulfilment and noted that ‘this [part-time job sharing] allows us to make our own professional dreams come true.’

So, when WMQ welcomed Helena and Tala with open arms, both women hit the ground running.

We are getting a lot of interest externally. People are really celebrating that organisations are doing this.

– Helena Kolenbet.

As more companies become aware of, and accepting of, job-sharing arrangements for senior legal roles, more people can achieve the work/life balance they crave. And although Wesley Mission Queensland is not the first to have this type of role, this is just one of many examples of how it pioneers part-time workforce equality.

It’s been over 6 months now and everyone at WMQ agrees that Helena and Tala have been the perfect fit.