Medical negligence lawyer Lisa Ridd has been presented with this year’s Women in Insurance Victorian chapter excellence award.

Ms Ridd, a partner at Minter Ellison in Melbourne, was selected because of her dedication and commitment to mentoring younger staff.

A mother of two young children, she also champions the advancement of women in the insurance and legal professions.

“The joy of being in a senior position is that I can be an advocate for flexible working,” she told insuranceNEWS.com.au. “Technology has made this possible, and we need to acknowledge that work does not have to occur strictly from 9am to 5pm.”

Ms Ridd devotes a great deal of time to mentoring staff – even sharing her office with a junior lawyer.

“There are lots of senior practitioners but not many junior ones. It is vital that we bring younger people through and work on their skills.”

Ms Ridd specialises in claims concerning brain-injured babies, a highly emotive area that can be hard for less experienced staff to cope with.

“We have held seminars to help staff deal with the difficult things they sometimes hear about. It is at the forefront of our minds.”

Women in Insurance (Vic) President Emma Fenby says the award was established three years ago to encourage women in the industry. She says winners will have achieved great things, but crucially they must have helped others too.

“Insurance can be a very male-dominated area and sometimes people don’t think about the women,” she said.

Any Women in Insurance member could make nominations, and the committee picked the winner.

Ms Ridd receives a year’s membership, along with a trophy and $500.