Edinburgh has long been considered a cradle of amazing people. This city gave the world many talents, who realised themselves in various spheres. Learn more at edinburghski.
Jurisprudence is no exception, as many Edinburgh geniuses have become successful in this field of human life.
Catherine Fiona Woolf gained fame in law. She found her calling and built a full-fledged career in this sphere.
Early years and choice of profession
Catherine’s life path began in Edinburgh.
Young Catherine attended St Denis School. When she had to decide on specialisation to continue her studies, Woolf stopped at law.
Thus, she started to study Law and Psychology at Keele University. Later, she continued her education in comparative law at the University of Strasbourg.
Beginning of the career and cooperation with governments
Catherine became a qualified lawyer in 1973. Then she started working at Clifford Chance LLP.
In 1978, Woolf moved to a new place, CMS. By the way, in 1981, she became the first female partner in this firm.
Catherine mainly dealt with infrastructure development and the energy market. Thus, in 1985, Woolf played a significant role as a legal advisor in the agreement between the French and British governments on the Channel Tunnel.
The woman’s contribution turned out to be so valuable that later she began to cooperate with members of the governments of 30 countries.
Heading an important organisation
In general, Catherine’s authority in the legal community gradually grew and she advanced her career. Each new professional level proved that the woman has extraordinary knowledge and skills.
So, in 2006, Woolf headed the Law Society of England and Wales. That period became especially interesting for the lawyer because she had an opportunity to work with the largest firms. Catherine highly appreciated this experience. She even mentioned it during her farewell speech on the occasion of her resignation from the post of president of the Law Society in 2007.
Promotion of women to leading positions
At the end of September 2013, Catherine was elected Lord Mayor of London. At that time, she was the second woman in history to hold this post.
Interestingly, shortly after her election, Woolf gave a unique interview to The Daily Telegraph. During the conversation with the journalist, the woman emphasised one of the topics that formed the basis of her election campaign. It was the promotion of women to leadership positions and even the correction of a gender imbalance in this regard.
Importantly, during her term as Lord Mayor, Woolf actively sponsored the Financing Tomorrow’s Cities project, which involved studying new mechanisms for financial sustainability.
Life motto and secrets of success
Speaking about Catherine Woolf’s biography, it is fair to note how she feels about her profession and activities. After all, it is always interesting to learn about the thoughts of a person about something they are involved in.
Thus, Catherine describes the period of her tenure as Lord Mayor as a stage of diversity and inclusion. She considered these qualities as the main ones in her campaign.
Woolf’s life motto is “get lucky and say yes”. The woman explains that she hopes for maximum luck but doesn’t forget to make a lot of effort. The result is worth it. Only hard work can place you in the right place at the right time. According to Catherine, it is very important to determine what knowledge, experience and acquaintances you need to achieve a certain goal. At the same time, you have to be useful as well. In other words, you should do what will be valuable to others, not only to certain management but also to society in general. Woolf believes that this is the only way to find your leading position.
Tested method
It is interesting that Catherine is a big fan of development plans. Moreover, she uses this method not only in her political and legal activities but also personal life. According to Catherine, imagining your life in three or five years helps you get closer to the cherished goal.
Catherine Fiona Woolf, a representative of Edinburgh’s legal elite, has proven that career advancement depends on personal desire and courage. She says that one of the components of her success is a constant stepping out of the comfort zone.
According to Catherine, every interview or new job is a very difficult challenge — and it’s normal. Still, it gives you an incredible feeling of something new and definitely adds to your confidence. In the end, all of this will lead to victory, pride and the conquest of new professional peaks.