Engage Lawyer Spotlight: Jen Collins

Lawyer jen

Jen, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you found yourself at Plexus?

I had started my career with nine years in private practice including three years as a paralegal while I was in university and worked my way up to Senior Associate.

During my time there I had worked with a lot of businesses and saw there was an opportunity to work in-house and make a real impact there too.

Business has been in my background a little too. I loved studying it at school and wanted to take the plunge.

Before Plexus I’d worked in-house at an athlete and sports management agency and in the travel industry. Both roles were so interesting and the type of legal work I was doing was completely different.

What really attracted me to Plexus was the opportunity to move around, get those diverse skills and see different businesses.

Plexus means you are with the one employer, and they can take care of all the rest - like finding the next great opportunity.

How have you found being a Plexus Engage secondee?

Initially, I wasn’t sure being a secondee was going to be 100% for me, but the opportunities I’ve had have been great!

I’ve worked at such different places like UNSW Global, CPA Australia, and Who Gives A Crap. And I’ve always had my next opportunity come along almost straight after I wrap up my secondment.

Every company does different things and they’ve given me great experience in each field. I never thought I’d be able to put jokes in a privacy policy!

In my first few months at Plexus, I did two secondments at the same time. They slotted in together nicely because I could come in each Monday and do real project work in one company on what really needed to get done for the business. The sort of things that can fall through the cracks in a typical day-to-day. Then the other days I was at the second company and my focus was on all sorts of business concerns.

One of my previous secondments was full time at one company which was great too because I can be really available for my stakeholders and really get a feel for their business.

What kind of person should think about becoming Plexus Engage secondee?

To be a Plexus Engage secondee you have to be open to opportunities as they come. At times it has been challenging but the outcome is really nice knowing you’ve made such an impact.

You’ve got to have that ability to adapt and want to be flexible.

Jen joined the Plexus Engage team in March 2020 and at the time of writing is currently on her fourth Engage secondment.

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Plexus Engage provides top-tier legal talent to support the ever-changing needs of in-house legal departments. Our highly skilled lawyers are available for immediate start.

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