Leading boutique firm NDA Law has elevated Senior Associate Lisa Christo to the new position of Associate Director.
Ms Christo was a founding member of the NDA Law legal team when the practice was established under trailblazer Andrea Michaels in Adelaide in 2015.
With a background in tax and commercial law, Lisa has managed the advisory practice including the family business and estate planning practice for the past two years. Her expertise has been recognised in various national awards, including winning the ‘Rising Star’ Award in the 2021 Australasian Law Awards.
Managing Director Joshua Michaels said Ms Christo’s recent promotion reflects the mark she has made on the business.
“Lisa is an award-winning lawyer who has helped us rise to be one of the most recognised boutique law firms in South Australia. She’s also a leading member of the community with her tireless pro-bono board work for a range of not-for-profit organisations.
“Lisa’s deep expertise and strategic outlook has helped grow our practice. She was instrumental in the establishment of a new agribusiness offering and she has further strengthened our corporate governance and indigenous business practice. Taking the next step to management is so well deserved.”
Alongside this senior leadership promotion, NDA law has also welcomed another experienced lawyer to the team this month with the appointment of Julie Edwards as a Senior Associate. Julie has a government background with strong litigation experience, including preparing matters for the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. She has also recently worked with Brain Injury SA as an NDIS appeals officer.
Mr Michaels said he believed boutique law firms had an advantage in being able retain promising young lawyers because they could fast track them earlier to key leadership positions. This could be an advantage to many women who may need to take time out later in their careers.
“As a boutique law firm, we are proud that we can reward outstanding talent like Lisa with the chance to rise to the highest levels of management much sooner.
“Fast tracking mid-career lawyers is usually much harder to do in many Big Law practices who tend to work within a pyramid structure and offer less flexibility. Boutique firms like ours can offer a lot of advantages to young lawyers looking for a career pathway because we provide a greater breadth of experience earlier.”