In this profile, Carly Price – a Law Society mentor – speaks to her mentee, Susma Giri, about criminal practice across WA, the power of mentorship as a two-way street, and why leadership doesn’t require a title.
Carly Price is a State Prosecutor at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Western Australia. She has been an active Law Society member since 2012 and has served on the Criminal Law Committee since 2016.
In 2025, Carly became a mentor in the Lawyers Mentoring Program, a Law Society initiative designed to support and guide early career lawyers.
Tell us a bit about yourself?
My family emigrated from South Wales in the UK when I was in primary school, and later moved to Newman in the Pilbara, where I lived for several years before returning to Perth. During my first few weeks of Year 12, I was seriously injured as a passenger in a motor vehicle accident, which required extensive rehabilitation. As a result, I completed my Year 12 studies over an additional year at an adult college.
At the University of Western Australia, I completed a double degree in chemistry and education. My career began as a teacher, including a period in Kalgoorlie. I was awarded Chartered Chemist status by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute for my contributions to chemical education. After completing a Master in Leadership, I decided to transition away from education and began working as a clerk in a criminal law practice before commencing my Juris Doctor at UWA.
Since then, I have worked in both Perth and regional areas, including participating in court circuits across the South-West, Mid-West, Pilbara, and the Indian Ocean Territories (Cocos Keeling Islands and Christmas Island). In the first five years of my legal career, I worked in private practice, then at Legal Aid WA in both Perth and a regional office, followed by the Aboriginal Legal Service of WA in a regional office. After returning to Perth, I spent four years at the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, where I was promoted to Senior Federal Prosecutor. For the last year and a half, I have been with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Western Australia, working initially in the Children’s Court team and currently as part of a trial team.
Have you ever been a mentee before? Has it shaped your current perspective?
Yes, I am still close to my teaching mentor, who was originally my chemistry teacher in high school. She has been a wonderful and wise role model to me throughout the years.
I have taken part as a mentee in other mentoring programs when I was a law student and very early in my career. I found them to be beneficial as an opportunity to engage with others. I have been assisted by many wonderful individuals in our profession and believe it’s important to give back to our collegiate profession in ways you are able.
How has being a mentor impacted your own professional development? Has it changed the way you view your work or your role as a leader?
Being a mentor is not just a formal role in a program. You are a mentor and a leader in all that you do. This view of mine has not changed.
I moved teams at my workplace earlier in 2025 and was given a farewell card from my previous team colleagues. Many of the messages in this card mentioned the assistance I had given and what others had learned from me. Leadership and mentoring can come in many forms – you do not need an official title.
I have been thinking about our mentorship. What do you believe both of us gain from a program like this – for me as a mentee and you as a mentor?
That the relationship is a two-way street. We can both learn from each other.
In your opinion, what is a common misconception that junior lawyers have about what it means to be a senior lawyer?
That senior lawyers know the answer to every possible legal question. We are all learning, no matter what stage our career is at.
If you could change or add one thing to the Lawyers Mentoring Program to make it more effective, what would it be?
I appreciate that the demands and needs of every person involved are different. I would suggest some short networking sessions for the program, so that all mentees/mentors can touch base informally.
What are some of the best pieces of advice you received early in your career that is still relevant?
You only have one reputation, and it can be quick to lose – so look after it carefully. To copy the advocacy style of another completely is setting yourself up for failure – watch, learn and take something from the style of others to build your own advocacy style that best suits you. Be prepared, put in the effort and work hard – but stay humble. Be kind to yourself. Have goals and work on a flexible pathway of how to get there.
What opportunities do you see for women in the legal field today, and how can they best be leveraged?
My personal view is that work-life balance opportunities and the advent of authentic employer measures in this area have made a vital difference. There is no perfect system, but acknowledgement towards what has been done and is continuing to be done is essential to forward-moving improvement.
Whilst giving specific examples of my own opportunities would be difficult, as there are many, one comment would be to stress the importance of being discerning and having an open mind to what can add value to your career.
On the flip side, how do you describe some of the emerging challenges women face in the legal profession, and how do you suggest navigating them?
I practised for some time in the regions. It became evident to me that isolation is still a big challenge that both women and men can face in the legal profession. Equally, this is not just an issue in the regions but also, for example, with sole practitioners.
On working in the regions, I found it is of vital importance that you ensure you have appropriate support measures around you to deal with the challenges which come your way. The law can be relentless and highly challenging, but if you have supports surrounding you, you can build a pathway forward. Tailored strategies which assist positively in building resilience are valuable. We are all individuals – what works for one may not work for another.
Beyond technology, what societal or economic shifts do you believe have most impacted the way law is practised today?
My personal view is access to justice in respect of funding for various programs and organisations which form part of impactful operation of the justice system. For example (in no particular order), the WA Government Justice Pipeline project; improved funding for organisations such as Legal Aid WA, Aboriginal Legal Service of WA, community legal centres, the ODPP and the CDPP, therapeutic court programs such as the Drug Court and START Court in the Magistrates Court and the Drug Court and In Roads program in the Children’s Court, programs in the regions and support services.
What is your perspective on the future of the legal profession, especially concerning diversity, inclusion and access to justice?
I have seen positive changing attitudes towards diversity and inclusion during my time in the law. My view is that authentic involvement is vital to a continued positive trajectory in this space.
Access to justice and fairness in proceedings are bedrock cogs to the justice system. Continuous improvement in genuine measures that lead to more positive outcomes cannot be forgotten. I had a matter which went to a special hearing pursuant to measures available under the Criminal Law (Mental Impairment) Act. This included formal engagement with a communication partner and other things. To see these measures in practice was very pleasing.
In a nutshell, no system is perfect – but it is crucial that genuine (and collaborative) measures continue to develop and be implemented.
If you weren’t a lawyer, what do you think you would be doing, and why?
I would either still be working in the education field in a leadership role, or possibly in mining (engineering). Either one of these two fields or a role in the equestrian sports area, as I have previously competed in official dressage to medium level and was a past member of the Young Rider State Dressage Squad.
