Carmel Mulhern, Group General Counsel and Head of Corporate Affairs at Telstra.

CARMEL MULHERN IS GROUP GENERAL COUNSEL AND GROUP EXECutive corporate affairs at Australia-based Telstra Corp. Ltd.

Mulhern received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Queensland, as well as a Masters of Laws from Australia's Monash University. She worked at Mallesons Stephen Jaques, and was a judge's associate at the High Court of Australia and the Supreme Court of Victoria. Telstra Corp. Ltd., based in Melbourne, is involved in telecommunications and technology. It focuses on the Asia-Pacific region, and has about 3,000 employees based in 22 countries outside of Australia. As group general counsel, Mulhern provides legal advice to the company's board, CEO and senior management. Mulhern is also group executive corporate affairs, which includes regulatory affairs, government relations, external and internal communications, and sustainability.

LEGAL TEAM: Telstra's legal team has more than 200 lawyers. There are five paralegals and two law clerks. There is also an operations team, and specialized units in dispute resolution and intellectual property. The legal team works mostly out of Melbourne, as well as Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth, all in Australia. There are other offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, New York and London.

OUTSIDE COUNSEL: "We have expertise in-house but use external firms as required," Mulhern said. "It might be for litigation, for a very particular point where an external opinion would be helpful, or for capacity, such as when we need particular expertise on a matter for a short period of time that we cannot resource in-house. … We have a panel of firms that we use depending on the requirement."

TYPICAL DAY: Each week, Mulhern typically meets individually with team members; has team meetings; attends CEO, senior management or board meetings; or attends meetings on discreet legal issues either with the legal team or with other parts of the company. Based in Melbourne, she travels to Sydney and Canberra at least weekly. "My team is involved in some challenging, high-profile, cutting-edge legal work," she added. "Telstra is supportive of the legal team and I, and my team, have a seat at the business table. This is not the case for all in-house teams. I feel that my team's work is really valued."

PERSONAL: "I am married with three children—two girls and a boy, ages 13, 11, 10," she said.

LAST BOOK READ: "The Sparsholt Affair," by Alan Hollinghurst. "I am in two book clubs, one that has been running for 19 years and the other known as the Luscious Ladies Literary Club, so I read broadly," she said.

WHAT KEEPS HER UP AT NIGHT: "The telecommunications and technology sector, like all industries, is facing disruption, so I do a lot of thinking about the risks, challenges and opportunities that brings for the company," she said. "In addition … the legal industry is facing disruption, which has implication for the way my team operates. I spend a lot of time thinking about how we continue to innovate to stay in front and shape our destiny rather than having change forced upon us. This means I need to build a high-performing, agile, world-class team that improves each year."

PRIORITIES AS GENERAL COUNSEL: "My number one priority is taking care of my team," she said. "Another priority is supporting and enabling the achievement of the company strategy. As a leader … I need to help [team members] understand why we are doing what we are doing. Telstra is changing—we're no longer a traditional telco; our vision is to be a world-class technology company that empowers people to connect."

ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION: Mulhern says the role of women in the legal profession "has changed considerably since I began my career." For instance, Telstra has a policy that the starting point for each role can be done flexibly. "I strive to create a flexible and inclusive workplace where my team feel supported and continue to engage at their peak. If employees have a great experience, they'll bring all of themselves to work, forge longer careers with us, seek support when they need it, and contribute all their talents to the things they love to do. I see diversity, including gender, only increasing in the future," she added.