Long way to the top: how I ended up with the harbour view I didn’t want

Taking it to the streets

Very early in my legal career I read Hell Has Harbour Views, Richard Beasley’s satirical novel about life as a young lawyer in a big Sydney law firm. The learned author went on to become a silk and is now a judge of the NSW Land and Environment Court. I don't remember every detail of the book, but I do remember it left me with the strong impression that the coveted corner office in a big law firm at the top of a skyscraper with spectacular views across Sydney Harbour was probably not for me.

To be fair to the big end of town, theirs wasn’t the only mode of practice that didn’t grab me. Much later I did a decent stint as a government lawyer, and found the banal brutality of bureaucracy equally unappealing, despite the quality of the work and the calibre of my colleagues.

Instead, I wanted to work at the coalface, in small firms, advising and representing people rather than corporations. I came to call it kitchen-table lawyering: being close to those whose lives are affected by the law, and helping them through some of the most difficult, consequential, and sometimes chaotic experiences of their lives.

One of the most enjoyable aspects was the variety. My practice covered criminal defence and sentencing, wills and estates, property, family provision claims, motor accident claims, common law personal injury litigation for injured plaintiffs, workers' compensation claims for injured workers, and commercial litigation for impecunious Davids taking on wealthy Goliaths.

I worked in suburban offices, police stations, correctional centres, family homes, restaurants, clubs, cafes, dining rooms, aged care facilities, hospitals, factories, farmhouses, trucks, boats, pubs, brothels, on the beach, on the road, on the fly, on spec, and on the QT.

I channelled a little Denis Denuto, some Saul Goodman, and a fair amount of Rumpole. Not the ideal combination of role models, perhaps, but they all share traits I respect – resourcefulness, a healthy disregard for unnecessary formality, a willingness to take on difficult cases, and an understanding that the law is ultimately about people.

I might not have had the harbour views, but I had variety, reality, and the genuine belief that I was making a difference. Securing a fair outcome for an injured worker, or successfully defending an innocent person on criminal charges, or helping a small business stand its ground against a much bigger opponent, rarely makes the news; but it matters enormously to the people involved.

I learned a lot about the law, but probably even more about human nature. I saw the law and humanity at their most practical, most frustrating, most compassionate, and occasionally their most absurd. And I never particularly regretted not having that corner office.

From little things big things grow

After more than 20 years as a solicitor, including roles as a partner, director, and consultant, my career took a different turn. I had been a contributing author to By Lawyers legal guides for about 10 years when, in January 2018, I joined the business full time.

Moving from legal practice into legal publishing was a significant change. Instead of advising clients directly, I found myself helping other lawyers to do their jobs better. I brought with me the experience of being on the other side of the desk from clients demanding answers. I was familiar with the tyranny of drafting against deadlines. I knew that lawyers don't need the law described to them, they need resources that help them apply it.

Today, I manage the Australian and New Zealand publications for By Lawyers, writing and editing content, guiding a brilliant team of legal professionals, and working closely with our authors and subscribers. The objective is simple, if not always easy: legal guides and precedents that are accurate, current, and practical for the day-to-day work of law firms.

Rather than helping one client at a time, I now help thousands of lawyers and, through them, many thousands more clients. In a way, it is still kitchen-table lawyering. The setting has changed, but the underlying purpose hasn't.

Ch-ch-changes

There has been another unexpected development along the way. Through By Lawyers' integration with LEAP Legal Software, I have become involved in the legal technology industry, working at the intersection of legal practice, legal content, and technology. It is an exciting place to be, particularly as artificial intelligence reshapes the way lawyers work.

I am fortunate to be involved in determining how reliable legal content can support increasingly sophisticated AI tools and how the profession can adapt to change at an extraordinary pace. I have seen legal practice change through new and amended legislation, new court processes, new practice management systems, and successive waves of technology. When I started, I used typewriters, company seals, and carbon paper. These are all ancient technologies now, long since superseded by others that are equally redundant, like faxes, floppy disks, and Dictaphones. But the current AI revolution is profoundly different in scale, speed, and potential.

The challenge is to make sure the technology genuinely helps lawyers and their clients. Accuracy, judgement, practical experience, and professional responsibility remain essential, and may become more important than ever.

The greatest view from here

Now, time for some irony.

Earlier this year, some of us in the By Lawyers team were very kindly offered accommodation in LEAP's rather palatial offices on Level 38 of Tower Two, International Towers, at Barangaroo. With, yes… an absolutely spectacular view across Sydney Harbour.

So, I pretty much have the corner office I decided all those years ago I didn’t want.

The ever-changing panorama of Sydney, not to mention the great people and culture, make it an extraordinary place to work, and I am genuinely grateful for the opportunity.

But I do sit here and chuckle sometimes. Without ever intending it, I have ended up with the very harbour view I once saw as emblematic of the professional future I didn't want.

Where I am now is kind of a long way from a suburban law firm, but the focus is the same: helping lawyers do their jobs and serve their clients as well as possible.

Life is a highway

Looking back, my career was never mapped out. There was no master plan, and certainly no hankering for a harbour view. I did the work I enjoyed, took the opportunities that felt right, learnt from my mentors and my mistakes, and always did my best. Remember, it is called practising law; we never get it perfectly right, but we keep trying to improve.

Each stage of my ad hoc career has built on the one before, although I couldn't have predicted the connections at the time. I think there is a lesson in that, particularly for law students and young lawyers starting out.

The legal profession is a broad church. Private practice, government, the courts, academia, administration, community legal services, in-house roles, the bar, the bench, legal publishing, and legal technology all offer different challenges and rewards. Not everyone needs to aspire to the same destination, and there is no single definition of professional success.

A career doesn't have to be linear to be successful. In fact, the twists and turns can be the most valuable part. The skills and perspective gained in one role often prove unexpectedly useful in another. Experience is rarely wasted, even when it takes you somewhere you never anticipated.

I still believe in kitchen-table lawyering, and that the law is fundamentally about people. I just happen to have a rather better view while doing it these days.

Enjoy yourself (It’s later than you think)

So, if you are a lawyer starting out or contemplating a change of direction, I would counsel you not to assume that the path you choose today determines where you will be tomorrow. Do the work that interests you, take the jobs that feel right, be curious and adaptable. And don’t forget to have some fun along the way.

And if you happen to end up in the corner of an office overlooking Sydney Harbour one day, well, that's a bonus.