Australia is rich in female lawyers who just need to get noticed, according to advocacy group women on boards. There are a number with similar quality and experience to Mallesons' Australian Hong Kong managing partner Nicola Wakefield-Evans who should be on company boards and focus on becoming more visible. "Nicola Wakefield-Evans is not unique in the experience and quality that women possess that we don't see flowing through to the board," said Claire Braund, executive director of advocacy group Woman on Boards. Wakefield-Evans recently become the first female board member at logistics company Toll. Braund added that she is delighted that long term member Wakefield-Evans has been appointed to the board of ASX listed Toll Holdings Limited. Being managing partner in Hong Kong and leveraging a solid client base has helped Wakefield-Evans develop her executive career. She didn't have to do what a lot of other female board members do and start on the board of a not-for-profit or in the charity sector. "She didn't have to follow the not-for-profit route," Braund said. According to Braund this is one of the reasons so many talented female lawyers are passed up, meaning that because those qualified in corporate law tend to go in-house for better hours they miss opportunities. "In house the difficult thing is to be more visible [there is a] need to get aligned with the senior executive team. It's the key to getting noticed," she concluded.