There’s not only one way to become a successful lawyer, and it’s okay if your path doesn’t run in a straight line, says award-winning Lane Neave Partner Evelyn Jones.
Evelyn has been included in the prestigious 2024 NZ Lawyer Elite Women, a comprehensive roundup that highlights the best in the industry. She hopes the recognition will help inspire others to think and do things differently.
“I encourage others to appreciate where they are in their own journey. While it may not seem to be the path you had envisioned, you will usually find a purpose in it by embracing it fully,” she says.
Evelyn wanted to be in the legal profession from a young age, however didn’t have a set plan beyond that.
“In that sense, I paved my own path when I entered the profession, and my career path wasn’t planned. That means I’ve learned to embrace change, and the twists and turns of life.”
Embracing change and doing things differently is also how she approached the opportunity to set up Lane Neave’s now highly successful specialist banking and finance practice.
“There was no handbook to guide me on what I needed to do.
What was unique about the opportunity at Lane Neave was that I was essentially given a blank canvas to play with.
I decided to share this blank canvas with my team from day one, and together we started growing and shaping the direction of this practice. My practice is very much my team’s practice – they have my back and I have theirs.”
Elite Women
As an impartial authority in the insurance sector, NZ Lawyer conducted an exhaustive research study spanning three months to identify and showcase the industry’s top performers. In this thorough assessment, followed by a rigorous selection process, Evelyn emerged as one of the distinguished contributors to the industry.
Chris Sweeney, Managing Editor for Special Reports at NZ Lawyer, shared his insights on the selection process.
“It was inspiring to see so many excellent women leaders across the national legal industry. Evelyn Jones fully deserves her recognition for the standards she set and the level of her accomplishments, along with her contribution to the wider sector, marking her out as an outstanding performer.”
This recognition underscores Evelyn’s dedication to industry excellence and its continued commitment to delivering exceptional results, he says.