When Georgia Dawson was elected senior partner of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer last fall, she made history as the first woman to lead a Magic Circle firm. Now, as she’s taken over the role and split her time between Singapore and London in order to do so, she’s at the head of one of the industry’s most interesting firms. In this interview, which took place on International Women’s Day, she reflects on the welcoming reception her fellow Big Law leaders have shown her, contemplates Freshfields’ big splash in Silicon Valley and lessons from a year of remote work, and explains why she thinks there’s room—and need—for lawyers to have a little fun in their practice.

This conversation has been lightly edited.