Lisa Qiu | 2026 Elite Women | Partnership, flexible work & the gender gap in law

Citation Legal Partner Lisa Qiu has been named in Australasian Lawyer's 2026 Elite Women list, recognising the top female lawyers in Australia and New Zealand. Congratulations, Lisa! In this candid conversation with host Tammy Sofranic, Lisa talks about her path from court monitor to Partner, leading a team as a part-time working mum, and why women still leave the profession before reaching the top. Lisa is a Sydney-based Partner with more than a decade in employment law and a niche practice in business migration. She was named a Doyle's Guide Rising Star in 2025, the same year she was made Partner. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome and introduction 01:30 What it felt like to make the Elite Women list 03:00 Career turning points: from court monitor to Partner 06:00 Why Citation Legal: industrial relations, enterprise bargaining and union disputes 07:30 Leadership as a new Partner: from guidance to motivation 09:00 Challenges as a young, Asian, working mum in law 11:00 Making part-time and flexible work actually work 13:00 Why the gender gap at partnership persists 15:00 Close What we cover: → Leaving insurance litigation for employment law, and taking on a migration practice → Why exposure to IR and enterprise bargaining from junior level attracts talent → Leadership that focuses on what motivates people, not just technical feedback → Pushing against cultural norms and building your own support network as a first-generation professional → Practical boundaries for part-time work: protocols, trust and capability building → Parent guilt, childcare costs and school hours: the structural barriers keeping women from senior roles Meet Lisa and the Citation Legal team: Citation Legal helps Australian businesses with expert employment and workplace law advice, including workplace investigations, litigation, enterprise bargaining, industrial relations and corporate immigration. https://citationgroup.com.au/meet-the... View the full 2026 Elite Women list: https://www.thelawyermag.com/au/best-... #EliteWomen #WomenInLaw #CitationLegal #AustralasianLawyer #FlexibleWork #LegalLeadership #EmploymentLaw