In this week’s episode, I’m thrilled to be speaking with Dean Evans – Partner at Evans & Company Family Lawyers and a Queensland Law Society Accredited Family Law Specialist. Dean has received some top accolades in his career, including being named by the legal bench marking organisation, Doyle’s Guide, as a ‘Leading Lawyer’ in 2016, and then as a ‘Preeminent Lawyer’ in the 2017 category.

Dean’s someone who works hard on creating a positive and happy culture in his firm, which brings him a lot joy while getting top results out of his staff. He’s also someone who’s not only incredibly driven to achieving top results for his clients, but also doing so in a way that coincides with his firm’s culture. This is a really interesting conversation that will be useful for legal professionals from all walks of life.

In this episode we get into:

What Dean would be doing if he weren’t a lawyer

Why Dean doesn’t think that automation could ever happen in family law

The best things about running a business, as well as the challenges

Dean’s connection to family law and what drove him to becoming one of the most skilled practitioners in the industry

What constitutes a good result in family law

Dean’s advice on happiness and celebrating success in the legal industry

What Dean does to manage and minimise stress

The importance of mentors, and those who have helped and inspired Dean throughout his career  

Tips on how to manage nerves in and out of court

Dean’s step-by-step advice on preparing for a case and setting yourself up as best you can

Being mindful and controlling negative energy and emotions

Finding a balance between family life and career

Dean’s Happiness Challenge 

 

HAPPY LAWYER HAPPY LIFE

Learn more here about upcoming events and courses and connect with Clarissa at the ‘Happy Lawyer Happy Life’ knowledge centre.  A community for lawyers who want to make the best out of their life in and outside of the law.   

If you’ve ever wondered how you can balance the hobbies that you’re passionate about with your career, then I’m sure you’re going to get a lot of inspiration from my guest this week. Kieran McCarthy is a fantastic family lawyer with over 24 years experience, having worked as a Senior Associate at McCullough Robertson before going it alone with his own firm, Rice Naughton McCarthy.

He’s also a fiercely passionate military history buff and dedicates much of his time to following this pursuit while also maintaining a happy family home with his wife and children. In this conversation, we talk about how he’s managed to juggle all of this while building a highly successful career in the legal industry.

In this episode we get into:

What Kieran would be doing if he weren’t a lawyer

Keiran’s passion for history and digging into the past

Looking to other industries for inspiration in law land

The secrets to balancing a happy family life with a career in law

Kieran on the benefits of working regionally, particularly when first starting out in your career

Learning on the job in family law and discovering what’s relevant and what’s not

Solving problems by building rapports

The great opportunity that family lawyers have

The thrilling and devastating moments practising in the legal industry

Making the transition from working for a large firm to being self-employed

The positive changes in Kieran’s life that have invigorated him

Being a person first and a lawyer second

Kieran’s advice to young people entering the legal profession

Kieran’s Happiness Challenge!

HAPPY LAWYER HAPPY LIFE

Learn more here about upcoming events and courses and connect with Clarissa at the ‘Happy Lawyer Happy Life’ knowledge centre.  A community for lawyers who want to make the best out of their life in and outside of the law.   

In this episode of the Happy Lawyer Happy Life Podcast, I’m thrilled to be speaking with fellow Brisbane-based lawyer, Cassandra Heilbronn. Cassandra is becoming an increasingly important voice in the legal industry, currently working as a Senior Associate at Minter Ellison and also acting as the President of the Women Lawyers Association of Queensland.

Somehow, Cassandra also manages to find the time to maintain a killer social media presence. Her blog, Life of a Lawyer, keeps me entertained as do her twitter and instagram accounts and of course her knowledge on the world of ‘sports law’. Here, she shares her journey with me plus loads of great advice and insights into law land and how to make the most out of having an online brand.

In this episode we talk about:

What Cassandra would be doing if she weren’t a lawyer

Managing to combine her passion with her career in the legal industry

The importance of court experience for Cassandra in her junior years

Cassandra’s sporting history and how it influenced her transition into sports law

Working in top-tier law firms and the environment that comes with it

The support that Cassandra receives from her team

The progression of women in the legal industry and how Cassandra sees the next few years

The adversarial nature of the legal industry and the problems that come with that

Cassandra’s second life as a social media star and how it came about

The 80-20 rule and how it increased Cassandra’s number of Twitter followers

Cassandra’s main influences and mentors in law land

The potential pitfalls of using social media when you work in the legal industry, as well as the positives  

The difficulties of balancing personal life with a demanding career

Cassandra’s advice for young lawyers

The Happiness Challenge!

 

HAPPY LAWYER HAPPY LIFE

Learn more here about upcoming events and courses and connect with Clarissa at the ‘Happy Lawyer Happy Life’ knowledge centre.  A community for lawyers who want to make the best out of their life in and outside of the law.   

Welcome to The Happy Lawyer Happy Life Podcast and my guest in this episode is the inspiring and all-round superstar, Tony Phillips. Like me, Tony is a family lawyer and has over 30 years’ experience in Law Land! He has a string of impressive accolades on his CV, including being named in the Top 4 of all Family Lawyers in Queensland by The Doyle’s Guide to the Australian Legal Profession in 2012, and also being named as one of the most preeminent family lawyers in Queensland in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Tony is the Owner and Managing Director of Phillips Family Law, a firm in which he’s created an environment where employees are happy to come to work. They manage to focus on wellness, health and happiness, while at the same time being one of the best family law firms in Australia. In this conversation, Tony shares his story with me and how he’s cultivated such an incredible workplace. Enjoy!

In this episode we talk about:

What Tony would be doing if he weren’t a lawyer

The impact that technology has had on the legal industry

Working smarter and relaxing smarter

The importance of leadership and creating a culture in your office environment

How mindfulness has become a part of office culture at Phillips Family Law and why it’s helped in delivering calm and measured responses to difficult situations

The responsibilities of a family lawyer and how Tony deals with that

Tony on what it takes to be the best possible lawyer you can be

How Tony maintains longevity in his young employees

Accepting that you can’t do everything and trusting your colleagues and the quality of work that they do

Knowing the different skill-sets of your teams and tapping into those skills

How Tony has managed to address many of the drivers of unhappiness at his firm while keeping in place some of the traditional elements that we often associate with law practice

How Tony manages the big question of happiness – for himself and for his team

What gives Tony the biggest buzz in the legal industry

Tony’s advice for young lawyers

The most important skill of all

Tony’s ‘Happiness Challenge’!

 

HAPPY LAWYER HAPPY LIFE

Learn more here about upcoming events and courses and connect with Clarissa at the ‘Happy Lawyer Happy Life’ knowledge centre.  A community for lawyers who want to make the best out of their life in and outside of the law.   

 

 

Welcome to The Happy Lawyer Happy Life podcast and in this episode, for the very first time, I’m interviewing two guests, so there’s double the reason to have a listen! Their name’s are Janelle Kerrisk and Sarah Roach, and together they’ve done something really extraordinary and recently set up their own firm, Helix Legal.

Individually, both Janelle and Sarah are excellent construction lawyers with heaps of experience, and combined they’re going about taking all the things that one typically associates with traditional law and flipping them on their head. By creating Helix Legal they’re taking pro-active steps towards achieving their dreams and being happy, and have some great tips about method and approach that’s sure to be useful for anyone looking for a new path in their career.

In this episode we really get into:

What Janelle and Sarah would be doing if they weren’t lawyers

The growing number of women working in construction law

How to get to the top at a big legal firm

Being seen as the leader in your team and the benefits that it can have for everyone

Establishing networks in the legal industry and why it’ important

Sarah’s varied experiences throughout her career and how she draws on them, particularly having worked as an accountant

The differences between in-house and private practice roles

A day in the life of a construction lawyer

How setting up Helix Legal has been beneficial for Janelle’s family and her happiness

Janelle’s family life and how she balances raising children with starting up her own firm

Attracting the right type of clients by being genuine and transparent

The most exciting aspects of starting a law firm from scratch

The new entrepreneurial law space and how different startups support each other

Working in coworking spaces – the benefits and the challenges

Janelle and Sarah’s advice for people wanting to go out and set up their own practice

Janelle and Sarah’s Happiness Challenge!

 

HAPPY LAWYER HAPPY LIFE

Learn more here about upcoming events and courses and connect with Clarissa at the ‘Happy Lawyer Happy Life’ knowledge centre.  A community for lawyers who want to make the best out of their life in and outside of the law.   

 

I’m so excited to introduce this week’s guest of The Happy Lawyer Happy Life podcast. His name is Neil McGregor and he’s someone who I’ve been keen to have on the show for a while now. Having worked in the legal industry for 43 years, Neil has a wealth of experience, not just of the finer details of law but also on how to maintain a happy relationship with your working life.

A barrister based right here in Brisbane, Neil has some really interesting beliefs and philosophies, particularly around Buddhism. This journey has been a big part of his happiness and we get really into that in this episode.

There’s a wisdom and calmness about Neil that’s really beautiful to be around. I got a lot out of this conversation and I’m sure that you will too. Enjoy!  

Here are a few things that Neil and I get into in this episode:

What Neil would have done if he never became a lawyer

The aspects of law that Neil loves and hates – mental challenges and the aggressive nature of the industry

The difficulties and complexities of family law, and why it’s often unappreciated

The problems of partnership and why Neil prefers to work alone    

Why learning from your mistakes will make you a better person and a better lawyer – no experience is wasted, whether it’s good or bad

The transitions in law that Neil has seen throughout his career  

The need to shift away from fixed views as a result of the changing landscape in the legal industry

Neil’s unique capacity to be calm with himself and clients, and the benefits that has in the courtroom

The mentality and mindfulness that lawyers can learn from doctors

How Neil has stayed happy in his 43-year long career

Neil working through Compassion Fatigue and the dangers that lawyers face from being exposed to traumatic situations

Neil’s technique on dealing with the stresses of legal life

Becoming a Buddhist and how that has changed his perspective on life  

How Buddhist philosophies help Neil in Court and his profession generally

Neil’s advice to those just starting out in the legal profession

Neil’s Happiness Challenge!

 

HAPPY LAWYER HAPPY LIFE

Learn more here about upcoming events and courses and connect with Clarissa at the ‘Happy Lawyer Happy Life’ knowledge centre.  A community for lawyers who want to make the best out of their life in and outside of the law.   

 

My guest in this week’s episode of The Happy Lawyer Happy Life podcast is Justin Paddon- a lawyer who always seems to see the glass as half full, even when it comes to law!  

Like me, Justin is a family lawyer, working at the Queensland firm, Kennedy Spanner, based right here in Brisbane. Justin has only this year returned to Brisbane after a few years working in the beautiful North Queensland tropics in Townsville. 

Justin is an avid sportsman- no doubt had he not pursued his career in the law we would find him on a football field somewhere but most interestingly, Justin brings all that his years in team sports have taught him to his work and this is where his strengths lie.  His positivity is contagious and you will no doubt find yourself, like me, feeling energised and happier just hanging out with Justin.

Justin, like all of us has faced challenges in his life, but it is his outlook that most inspired me- he sees the best in everything, brings vigour to all that he does and is one very ‘Happy Lawyer’ so I am sure you will enjoy hearing from someone who has found a way to get there!

In this episode we get into all that, plus loads more including…

What Justin would have been if he hadn’t become a lawyer

How Justin’s interest in politics led him into law

The life lessons Justin learned in the early days

How having a teamwork mentality helps Justin in and out of work

The importance of being able to have a genuine conversation working as a lawyer  

Justin’s steps on how to always be finding new ways of learning as a young lawyer and student

Justin’s approach to staying positive and avoiding negative spirals

Being supportive and making sure that communication lines are always open with friends and colleagues

Justin’s routine of healthy activity and making sure he eats right

The importance of food as fuel – how Justin maintains his energy that brings him happiness in his professional and home life

Justin’s thought on why having low energy is not only a disservice to you but to your clients as well

Choosing and controlling our mindset

Why connectivity is one of the biggest causes of unhappiness among lawyers and what you can do to combat that

Theories around happiness: passion and authenticity

Justin’s mentors in law land

Justin’s Happiness Challenge!

 

HAPPY LAWYER HAPPY LIFE

Learn more here about upcoming events and courses and connect with Clarissa at the ‘Happy Lawyer Happy Life’ knowledge centre.  A community for lawyers who want to make the best out of their life in and outside of the law.   

 

My guest in this week’s episode of The Happy Lawyer Happy Life podcast is a true example of a successful  and happy lawyer. Judge Brian Jordan worked as a solicitor and then barrister, specialising in family law from 1975 to 1991 before being appointed a Judge of the Family Court. He went on to work on the bench for over 23 years before retiring and moving into the next stage of his career as a mediator and arbitrator. 

Not only is Brian a wealth of wisdom and experience on legal matters, he’s also someone who’s managed to achieve real happiness for himself and his family, without compromising success in his career. In this episode he talks to me about how he’s managed to consistently achieve that, despite coming up against some major obstacles along the way.

In this episode Brian and I get really into…

What Brian would have been if he hadn’t had a career in law

The current pressure on university students and the shocking rates of depression that exist

The importance of ‘over-preparing’ for cases

Brian’s health issues and how he thrived in his career in spite of them

Brian’s steps in preparing in order to become a brilliant practitioner

How Brian hit the ground running in his career despite initial anxieties

The highlights of Brian’s judicial career       

Brian’s experience of challenging unrealistic expectations

How Brian’s desire to be as involved a parent as possible affected his career choices

The daunting and rewarding responsibility that comes from being a Judge  

Brian’s struggles working on sexual abuse cases and the emotions that come with it

Mediation as a transition into retirement for Brian

How Brian’s partner has been instrumental in supporting him throughout his career

Brian’s Happiness Challenge!

 

HAPPY LAWYER HAPPY LIFE

Learn more here about upcoming events and courses and connect with Clarissa at the ‘Happy Lawyer Happy Life’ knowledge centre.  A community for lawyers who want to make the best out of their life in and outside of the law.   

 

Welcome to a very special episode of the Happy Lawyer Happy Life podcast where in this week we’re on tour in Melbourne. And that’s because both me and my guest, Sarah Bartholomeusz, are attending the Women in Law Awards. It’s a great chance to sit down with Sarah and get her on the show because she truly is someone who’s causing ripples in law land.

Sarah is the founder and CEO of the award winning law firm, You Legal – a unique category of corporate commercial law firm. She’s also the winner of the 2015 Telstra Business Women’s Award, has been a TED speaker, authored two books and is the wife and mother of two children. In this episode, Sarah tells me all about her journey, walking the line between law and entrepreneurship, plus loads more.

We get really into…

What Sarah would be doing if she weren’t a lawyer

Going about building a law firm that’s different

The importance of trying different things in your career

How the unique structure of Sarah’s firm provides value to clients

Sarah’s team and what drives them to work with her

Sarah’s vision of one million clients for You Legal by 2020

‘Possibilise’ – how to make something that’s impossible possible

Sarah’s three steps to possibilising   

Everything that’s come to Sarah from winning the Telstra Award in 2015

Sarah’s latest book, Kingpin: Legal Lessons from the Underworld

The passion that Sarah gets from her work and why it brings her happiness

Sarah’s influences in life and in law land

The entrepreneurial network

Sarah’s advice to young lawyers wanting to find their own entrepreneurial path

Being released from the ‘tyranny of the timesheet’

Sarah’s Happiness Challenge

 

HAPPY LAWYER HAPPY LIFE

Learn more here about upcoming events and courses and connect with Clarissa at the ‘Happy Lawyer Happy Life’ knowledge centre.  A community for lawyers who want to make the best out of their life in and outside of the law.   

In this episode of the Happy Lawyer Happy Life podcast I’m really proud to be interviewing my very good friend and a true inspiration of mine, Anne-Marie Rice. Like me, Anne-Marie is a family lawyer. She is well-known in the legal industry for her intellect and insight, and has held executive positions in some of family law’s most significant committees. She also teaches at the University of Queensland and is one of only five women among the Australian Fellows of the prestigious International Academy of Family Lawyers.

Besides her impressive career, she’s also had to overcome significant health challenges that have made her reassess her approach to the legal industry and how she balances work with her family life. In this conversation she shares her journey with me and divulges plenty of wisdom on overcoming the obstacles that many people working in law are faced with on a day-to-day basis.

Here are some of the key topics we get into:

Anne-Marie’s fascination with psychology and how she incorporates that into her legal work

Her ability to understand people, how they think and feel, and why that’s so important as a lawyer

How her illness forced her to reflect, slow down and change her approach to life and work

Discovering collaborative practice

The client-centric approach vs. the core and litigation processes – how to tap into this approach in order to really help people

Anne-Marie’s teaching roles, and how she encourages her students to consider the humanistic approach in law

Prioritising self and roles outside of work

The stress of combining work and home-life, and the difficulty in striving for perfection in both

Anne-Marie’s advice on dealing with the stress of ‘law land’

Keeping an optimistic outlook on life

Anne-Marie’s five things that bring happiness to her on a daily basis

The profound influence that music has on all of us

Creativity as the essence of life

Top advice to young female lawyers

Anne-Marie’s Happiness Challenge!

 

HAPPY LAWYER HAPPY LIFE

Learn more here about upcoming events and courses and connect with Clarissa at the ‘Happy Lawyer Happy Life’ knowledge centre.  A community for lawyers who want to make the best out of their life in and outside of the law.