This week in our MHC Life series, we speak to Head of Corporate Governance Claire Lord. Claire talks about her career journey and a famous person who made an impact on her.

Tell us a bit about you and your career journey to MHC – what inspired you to get into this career?

I joined Mason Hayes & Curran as a 4 year qualified lawyer in October 2006. I had just returned home from a wonderful 2 years in Sydney, Australia where I had been doing contract negotiation for a large telecommunications company. I trained in Navan as a property lawyer. It was during this training that I learned how to write a good letter and the importance of picking up the telephone to keep clients updated and projects on track!

Career highlight?

Being given the chance to try my hand as a contracts lawyer in Sydney was unquestionably an important moment. It allowed me the opportunity to represent corporates rather than individuals. While I have enjoyed both, I do love getting stuck into large complex projects, working out the various steps and how to sequence them, spotting the legal challenges and working out ways to navigate them and then the thrill of getting the whole project completed, ideally with as little impact as possible on the client’s day-to-day- activities, on time and within budget!

Another highlight was presenting a piece of legislation to the members of the Oireachtas, the Irish parliament. We had to think differently about the information that we presented and focus on what the impact of the legislation might be for the members’ constituents, and then present rather dense and might I say boring details in a short time frame and in a way that came across as interesting! I won’t comment on how many turned up for the presentation but just being in Dáil Éireann and feeling like I had a meaningful role in the implementation of one aspect of company law felt great.

Talk us through a typical day for you

I am an early riser. This came as a surprise to me, and my parents, as I certainly showed now signs of this being the case when I was a teenager. I get up at 6am and tackle hard tasks or my inbox then when my mind is fresh, and in an effort to stay ahead of the day. It doesn’t always work but my optimism is high when I have my coffee and a bit of time to myself to work things through! My favourite part of the day is getting home to my family and hearing all of their stories. The wonder of the world seen through the eyes of a 10 year old and 6 year old helps me to shake off any of the stresses of the day and remember what’s truly important.

What sports/hobbies/pastimes do you enjoy?

I love running. I run as fast as I feel like (usually not that fast) and as far as I have time for (same). At the moment I like listening to podcasts or audio books while I run. My current mix of favourites is varied to say the least. If something is troubling me, I dip into Brené Brown; if I want to just be, I listen to Joanne and Vogue or Tommy, Hector and Laurita and laugh – although running and laughing is not the easiest thing to do!

Have you ever met anyone famous?

I met Mother Teresa when I was 8. I remember every moment of our encounter like it was yesterday.

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