Women in Technology - Monica Dunne

Monica is a Regional Director at Consilio and a legal technology leader with 25+ years' experience helping legal teams manage evidence end-to-end - from complex data and review workflows through to hearing preparation and evidence presentation.

Prior to joining Consilio, Monica co-founded and built two legal technology businesses, bringing to market proprietary evidence presentation platforms used by leading law firms across Australia and internationally.

She holds an MBA (Global) and multiple US, Australian and international patents focused on evidence presentation and the management of complex, multi-matter litigation.

How did you get into this industry?

I came back from eighteen months travelling overseas with a credit card debt to pay off and took the first job I could find, which was at a large law firm. I had no real plan, no particular interest in the law, and absolutely no technical background.

What I did have was experience in event management - managing multiple moving parts, strong personalities, and high-pressure deadlines with attention to detail. Preparing a complex matter for trial turned out to require exactly those skills. And although I had no technical background, I adapted to the technology quickly, could clearly see the value it was delivering, and found I was able to articulate that to the legal teams in a way that resonated. I am also quietly ambitious and competitive by nature so when I care about an outcome, I dig in. I genuinely invested in helping our clients to win their disputes.

What were some pivotal moments in your career that helped shape your journey?

There were two that stand out. The first was when my female boss at the law firm saw something in me before I saw it in myself. She told me I was the first person she had met who she thought could replace her. She was already planning her next move, and she told me that how you leave a role matters as much as how you perform in it. She put me in tough managerial situations, helped me build my knowledge and confidence, and when she was eventually headhunted to another firm, she made sure I was ready to fill her role - including coaching me on salary negotiation so when the firm tried to lowball me, I was able to argue my worth based on the real revenue I was overseeing and value I was delivering, and ensure I was financially compensated accordingly. I have never forgotten that lesson about the power of sharing information and women genuinely supporting each other.

The second was the decision to leave the security of working in a law firm to co-found a legal technology business. It was financially risky and at times highly pressurised work - but it also gave me the freedom to pursue directions that simply were not available to me inside a large organisation, to back my own judgement, and to build something innovative from the ground up. There were genuinely exhilarating moments alongside enormously hard ones, and those experiences shaped not just my career but who I am personally. I will never regret taking that leap of faith and backing myself.

Have you ever experienced moments where your gender played a role in your career?

Yes - though perhaps not in the way you might expect. For me, it was less about how others treated me as a woman and more about what I was also quietly managing alongside the work because I was a woman and a mum of four.

I would regularly attend meetings in the grip of severe morning sickness - the kind that lasts all pregnancy - with an airline sickness bag tucked up my suit sleeve, just in case I needed to make a sudden exit. There are times when women cannot share what is really happening in their lives - particularly in those early weeks of pregnancy - and yet the work still has to be done and done well. For many women, the professional performance others see is only part of what is actually happening in their lives - and they deliver exceptionally anyway.

What advice would you give to someone working in a predominantly male workplace?

My advice to a young woman working in a predominantly male environment would be this: do the internal work first. Understand where your natural talents lie, what kind of mark you want to leave, and what you want your career path to look like. Have a plan - and do not simply accept the direction others may predetermine for you, unless it is the one you have chosen. I got lucky that my mentors' suggestion ultimately aligned with what was brewing inside me in terms of the career path I wanted to pursue. Also, have the courage to speak up, tell your managers what you want, why you want it, and importantly how it will also benefit the business. 

The woman who mentored me in my early legal technology days did not protect her position by minimising my potential. She enthusiastically nurtured me, which, as a side benefit, ultimately made it easier for her to pursue her own goals. That is the kind of mentor worth finding - and the kind of leader worth becoming.

I would also say work hard when you have the bandwidth to do so and be kind to yourself when you don't. Not every season of life affords you the same capacity, and that is perfectly normal.

What do you think companies can do to encourage more women to pursue careers in technology?

Companies need to take active responsibility for bringing women into technology-focused roles, and just as importantly, keeping them there. That means investing early to model this as an ambition for young women before they self-select out, building genuine flexibility into how work is structured, and ensuring women who step back to raise families are properly supported back in - because with AI reshaping the industry at speed, the cost of losing their experience and skill has never been higher. Underpin all of that with a real mentoring culture, and we will not just attract women into technology - we will keep them, grow them, and benefit from everything they bring.

For me, a great career legacy is not just what you built, but also who you built up along the way.

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