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Every five years or so, Ashley Hill reinvents herself, demonstrating her desire to keep learning and growing. In college, she switched from a chemical engineering major to English literature with an emphasis on theater. After five years of intense oil and gas litigation straight out of law school, Hill thought nothing of effectively restarting her career by switching to employment law.
“I had built a strong foundation in commercial litigation, gaining extensive experience in cases where companies mainly sued each other over money,” Hill says, laughing. “I decided to shift directions and expand on that. I wanted to focus more on how companies treat their people.”
After five more years as outside counsel as an employment lawyer, Hill realized she could be more effective in-house. The cases she was taking on had reached a point of no return. She wanted to intervene earlier in the process so organizations could avoid costly litigation.
“I would see these issues where I wanted to point out, ‘Had you treated this employee better at this point and this point and this point, we wouldn’t be here,’” Hill remembers. “I knew that if I was going to go in-house, it had to be somewhere that had a culture of care for its people, that was employee-focused, and that’s what I found.”
Hill came to what was then BHP Billiton in 2016, and a massive merger between that organization and Woodside Energy followed in 2022, prompting her to adjust the way she engaged with her new internal clients and colleagues.
Because Hill serves as litigation and employment lead for the Australian-based Woodside Energy, bridging the gap between US and Australian business practices has required Hill to act as an educator for a process that can seem outlandish to those outside the United States.
“Since I handle all litigation in the North American and Caribbean regions, I sometimes have to justify why we have so much litigation, because plaintiffs’ lawyers work for contingencies here,” Hill says. “Representing someone for free and then taking 40 percent of their recovery is not a model that is common in Australia. With commercial disputes, I explain that having a lawsuit filed against your company in the US isn’t necessarily because you’ve done anything wrong. It’s often a business tactic.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting lately, and I have everything I’ve wanted in life. It’s not millions of dollars, but I really like my job and my career. I have two healthy kids I love spending time with, I have a wonderful husband, and I’m just glad to be where I am.”
Ashley Hill
At the same time, Woodside Energy continues to grow. The company recently acquired the Beaumont New Ammonia Project to create a facility that will ultimately generate ammonia with less than 35 percent of the life-cycle emissions intensity of unabated ammonia, according to the EU proposed standards calculation method for carbon intensity. With global demand for ammonia expected to double by 2050, evolving decarbonization policies will likely make lower-carbon ammonia a prized asset.
Woodside is also expanding in the liquified natural gas space, an area in which Hill has worked hard to educate herself. The company acquired Tellurian Inc. in October 2024, and Hill had another steep learning curve when she was asked to become involved in the M&A transaction and afterward, business integration. As Woodside expands as a company, Hill looks forward to growing alongside with it.
“When I’m eager to explore new areas of the law or learn new industries, I’ve found that being in-house offers the best opportunities for that. And Woodside’s growth has me excited for the future.”
And so—despite her capacity for reinventing herself—Hill likes like being in-house, where she can build out new areas of expertise. More important, the lawyer is content with her life.
“I hope this doesn’t sound conceited because that’s not what I mean,” Hill begins. “But I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting lately, and I have everything I’ve wanted in life. It’s not millions of dollars, but I really like my job and my career. I have two healthy kids I love spending time with, I have a wonderful husband, and I’m just glad to be where I am.”
The Greatest Role of Her Life
Ashley Hill’s passion for the theater extended well into her collegiate career, but when she went to law school, it seemed like a life onstage may have gone by the wayside. That was until Hill, barely a baby lawyer, found herself thrown into a five-day trial where she would be lead counsel.
“Right before opening statements, I was in the bathroom pacing back and forth, wondering how I was ever going to get through this,” Hill remembers. “I had been a lawyer for six months, and now I was supposed to get through a trial.”
In that moment, Hill had to fall back to her roots and to do what felt natural—to play a part. Hill decided she was going to play the biggest role of her life: a capable and veteran lawyer who won her case.
“Sometimes you have to fall back to what makes the most sense for you,” the attorney says, laughing. “I treated my opening statement like my script, the courtroom like the audience, and I just went for it.”
“I’m thrilled to see you recognized for your incredible leadership and success. I’m grateful to work with someone who shows up every day with such positivity and heart—you inspire me to do the same.”
–April Rolen-Ogden, Shareholder at Liskow
