Disrupt the equilibrium - Trent Wallace

We spoke to Trent about what purpose means to him, his journey to Ashurst and what he has experienced in the last 12 months in this role and his vision for the future.

We acknowledge the First Nations People as the traditional custodians of the land in which we work in Australia. We pay our respects to the elders past, present and emerging and to those working towards a brighter tomorrow.

You have quite an important role with the firm, being our First Nations Lead in Social Impact and Pro Bono. Can you provide some insight into your experience since you started in early 2020? the last 12 months in your role?
My time at Ashurst has been a whirlwind despite becoming locked in my living room for most of my first year. I had only spent about a grand total of 2 weeks in the office after starting before we went into lockdown but, prior to all of that I actually did get to meet Ben Tidswell in person and I got to sit down and have a yarn with him and Sarah Morton-Ramwell who is the Partner and Global Head of Pro Bono and Social Impact. And that really re-affirmed my position in the firm that our Global Chairman would take the time out to meet with me and yarn and that has triggered a great response and a great respect from the Ashurst community.

I often describe my role as Tina Turner performing the fast section of Proud Mary because I'm continually spinning and pivoting and twirling into new emails and new requests and always keeping in mind that my obligation is to sit with fullest respect to First Nations communities and to advise accordingly and to mitigate any reputational risk or harm. So I need that time to sit down and consider anything we do in the First Nations space by way of pro bono and social impact.

However, my role has grown exponentially out of those two arenas and I mean through business development, events, learning and development etc, I've been involved with all parts of the business essentially and it's a really promising looking future actually.

What makes you feel proud to work at Ashurst?
I'm a very proud person in general. I'm proud of who I am and it took me a long time to achieve that.
What makes me most proud every day is turning on my computer and starting my role at Ashurst.. I don't fit in anywhere and I've been taught from this firm and from my mentors and leaders and my ancestry that I don't need to fit in anywhere. I can actually carve out space for myself. I don't need to fit into a box that's assigned or designated to me through statistics or through pain or through torment and history. I can create and carve out my own space and so I'm proud of that every day and every day I feel the support and love from people at Ashurst and our clients, both pro bono and commercial clients coming to us and seeking out advice in the First Nations space.

What is your vision for Ashurst in the next 5 years?
My purpose is to disrupt the equilibrium and I'm continually seeking to do that and it comes by way of plans but also comes through those thoughts at midnight. My job is not 9 to 5, it's from when I open my eyes to when I close my eyes and go to sleep at night. I'm continually thinking about ways in which we can shift and transform and prioritise First Nations voices and in the next coming five years at Ashurst, I hope to be in positions of further leadership and continue to work with key leaders within the firm.

It's not only important from an advancement of First Nations Peoples perspectives but it's also important to our commercial clients. They're continually interrogating our actions, what we're doing in our First Nations space and seek to really be heavily involved in our initiatives. Ashurst has a key role in leading in this space. I think it's essential that we keep moving forward and we keep disrupting this space and to really be radical thinkers who tip the line with our values and to be the most progressive law firm in the world it truly is to advance First Nations Peoples and look at the piece of racial injustice and how we can address that.

Anything else you'd like to share?
I really hope to have more emails in my inbox. I know that's a rare request and I get plenty every day but I just want to get more involved in initiatives and continue to partner with our commercial clients.

It's about really reaching in and having those conversations to, so If you're curious about First Nations affairs then please reach out to me. I'm more than happy to yarn!