Seva Surmei
Principal Lawyer at DMAW Lawyers
behind closed doors Luminaries/Emerging Leaders Member

Tell us about your current role and the organisation you work for:

I am a Principal Lawyer at DMAW Lawyers, a medium sized South Australian based corporate and commercial law form.  I specialise in property and franchising law in the transactions team.  DMAW Lawyers prides itself in acting for some of SA’s best businesses and for enabling our people and clients to thrive.

How has being involved with behind closed doors assisted you in your career:

The Luminaries/Emerging Leaders group at behind closed doors has assisted me in my career in many ways.  For me the program involved an enormous amount of self-assessment.  I was able to identify growth areas in my role as a Principal Lawyer including in my approach to managing a team.  I was also able to learn how to set measurable goals and was kept accountable along the way to work towards them.  The greatest benefit I found was simply having a support network of other women in similar positions from different industries but facing similar challenges.  This has provided me with a forum to share, and hear about, experiences and challenges and to receive valuable feedback.  

What have been the benefits of having an accountability partner:

I was privileged to have two accountability partners who have provided me with great support throughout the program.  We would catch up in between sessions to check in on each other and share our experiences throughout the month in preparation for discussion at the next session.  I have truly valued this part of the program and I know that I will stay in touch with my accountability partners into the future.

-Seva Surmei, December 2020