Akima Paul Lambert
Akima Paul Lambert describes herself as wearing many hats – and what an apt description this is indeed. In what she calls her ‘day job’, she is an Associate at a UK law firm where her work centres on complex commercial disputes , as well as the firm’s Caribbean practice. She also somehow finds the time to engage in public life as Ambassador-Elect to the Vatican on behalf of her native Grenada. Moreover, Akima is also a self-professed lover of academia (in the process of earning yet another Master of Laws degree) and, perhaps most significantly, a passionate adherent of all things creative. Join us in the Pursuit of understanding how Akima successfully channels her voice through these many roles and interests. This piece forms part of our series on Entrepreneurship and Diversity in the Workplace.
Akima Paul Lambert plays many roles, but the thread that runs through all of them is her love for creative expression. Whether it be through writing, visual arts, or a thriving law practice and future ambassadorial roles, Akima seizes every opportunity presented to her to use her voice in support of her passions and her beliefs. She exemplifies this immediately in her career - having found a law firm with a culture she believes in (more on this later), Akima not only successfully practices in her chosen field of international disputes, but she has also found a link to her much-loved homeland through the firm’s Caribbean practice. “It’s where my entrepreneurial spirit really blossoms and flowers”, she reflects of the Caribbean aspect of her work.
What does entrepreneurship look like in the field of law? For Akima, it has been one of the great re-shapers of the entire legal industry. “An entrepreneurial approach to the practice of law is one of the key differences between successful and unsuccessful practices – firms that fail to innovate and respond to changes in the legal environment will be outpaced.” she asserts. Having embraced this aspect of modern legal practice, Akima reflects that with the advent of greater competition, success or failure can depend in large part on one’s ability to embody the role of “lawyer-entrepreneur” since repeat wok comes from fostering both a personal and firm brand and building and nurturing client and personal relationships. Such duality (and even multiplicity) appears typical of Akima – she is a dual citizen Grenada and the UK, she is dual-qualified to practice law in the UK and the US, and in the near future - with the right opportunity - she will balance her private law practice with a public-facing diplomatic role.
"AN ENTREPRENEURIAL APPROACH TO THE PRACTICE OF LAW IS ONE OF THE KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SUCCESSFUL AND UNSUCCESSFUL PRACTICES – FIRMS THAT FAIL TO INNOVATE AND RESPOND TO CHANGES IN THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT WILL BE OUTPACED."
– Akima Paul-Lambert
Reflecting on this amalgam between public and corporate life, she notes that there is no single definition that can fully describe how she sees herself. “I am not just ‘Akima the lawyer’ – I don’t think it’s the sum of who I am or the sum of what I do,” she asserts. Instead, Akima describes herself as “an international citizen of the world” and views her budding diplomatic career as commingling remarkably well with her legal practice. “As I become more senior I can see that my skillset is well adapted to such a role”, she notes, adding that she sees the need to transform the role of the diplomat from largely ceremonial to that of activist and advocate. “It is crucial now, in the wake of Brexit and entering the era of disruption, to improve the negotiating position of the Caribbean, to seek international support and commitments on trade and other issues such as climate change.” As a lawyer, and as a member of the diaspora who values public service, Akima admits that she is uniquely attuned to all of these perspectives and is energised to respond to the challenges of the job.
One might wonder where this seemingly boundless energy comes from - but for Akima it seems to hold that the more she does, the happier she is. The caveat of course is that there must be passion – and her career advice centres on finding an organisation that is inspiring. “Passion for the job and the organisation one works for makes the question of work-life balance a lot easier!" And passionate she is indeed about her current firm, which she happily notes has an open and inclusive culture and a diverse environment. She is quick to note that there is no monolithic embodiment of the firm’s culture that employees are expected to emulate – but rather that its enrichment comes from the different attributes, skill-sets and perspectives that all members of the team bring to the table. In fact, she and her colleagues are encouraged to bring their authentic selves to work, something that is very important to her. Admitting that finding such a culture within the corporate world was not always easy or immediate, Akima reflects that it is immensely rewarding both personally and professionally.
"SOMETIMES GETTING TO AN OBJECTIVE REQUIRES RECONFIGURATION AND REORIENTATION – ALL IS NEVER LOST."
– Akima Paul-Lambert
In that regard, she openly states that some of her most important career decisions have come from knowing when to quit – her natural tenacity aside, she says that one of her most valuable life lesson has been knowing when to move on to the next opportunity, one that aligns better with one’s values and goals. For some, quitting may seem akin to failure – but in her view, failure at a task is not necessarily failure at one’s objective. “Sometimes getting to an objective requires reconfiguration and reorientation – all is never lost,” she counsels. Citing an experience where she sought to launch a website for women that she envisioned as the “Mumsnet for busy working lawyers”, Akima reflects that she did not dedicate sufficient resources, so it ultimately came to a halt. Nonetheless, today she is co-editor of her firm’s Women’s review where she has the opportunity to share her views on issues that she would have featured on her (defunct) website. One can’t help but notice that even as she repurposed her goal into a new form, the outcome fits neatly with her overarching focus on finding outlets for creative expression.
Akima’s story, then, is one of finding success by staying true to oneself – and she aims always to bring her authentic self to whatever venture she is engaging in. She continues to use her voice as a force for change, (we note her recent contributions to the discussion on the Windrush scandal for example), and we continue to be fascinated by the story she is telling.
How do you take care of Akima, how do you practice self-care?
Mum-Akima says ‘is there such a thing’. Seriously, however, self-care is the word du jour recently and there is a lot of talk surrounding this. This is a good thing. However, I feel that it has been around for a long time, just not spoken about in this way. I am not a yummy-mummy in that I do not practice yoga or engage in mindfulness (maybe I should) but it has always worked for me to exercise regularly, detach myself from stressful situations and unproductive relationships where I can. I am also a big fan of pursuing passions outside of the workplace. I also de-stress through creative outlets - I love creative writing and would like to do more of it.
Can you name of your favourite books?
Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro is one of many favourites but it was my first favourite. It is a subtle masterpiece on colonialism and empire, issues that come to the fore of my mind as a new British citizen. It leads me to question: what is Englishness? What is greatness? What is dignity? On its face it is about a butler’s dedication and misguided loyalty but it is a brilliant book about the masks we wear and the fictions we tell ourselves.