When faced with the possibility of losing one of her senior lawyers to a leave of absence, Bree Knoester – by her admission – initially adopted a narrow, traditional mindset around what that departure would mean for her firm. Ultimately, however, she resolved to approach the matter from a wellness perspective and be true to her and her firm’s values to ensure that the business’s interests and the need for lawyers to approach their careers in idiosyncratic ways could successfully intersect.

In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Brave Legal founder and principal Bree Knoester and senior associate Jyoti Haikerwal about Haikerwal’s decision to take a leave of absence for her personal and educational development, how Knoester initially responded but then reframed her thinking, and why it is so important for firm owners to adopt non-traditional mindsets to such leadership and recruitment questions.

Knoester and Haikerwal also discuss how best to prioritise wellness and career longevity for staff, creating supportive, hospitable environments in which staff feel supported and encouraged to speak out, viewing the intersection between business interests and non-linear pathways as an opportunity rather than a problem, and what the future looks like for firms and individuals who can successfully integrate different interests.