When Julie Miehe was 14 years old, she went on a grand adventure. Looking for something exciting to do in the summer holidays, Miehe packed her bags, left her native France and set off on the trip of a lifetime.

She found herself in New Caledonia, where she was to stay with her aunty for two months. Within a matter of days, Miehe had fallen in love with the place, and from that moment on she was determined to live, one day, in the Pacific Islands.

Miehe returned to France and, ten years ago, she once again left the Northern Hemisphere as an exchange student bound for Australia. But this time, she didn't go home.

"I came here to do one year and I loved it so much that I never left," laughs Miehe.

"I always wanted to live in the Pacific region. I wanted to get involved in what is going on down [here], I love it. I ended up moving to Australia instead of moving to one of the Pacific Islands, but I thought, 'It's the big island next door. I can do that'."

When she arrived in Australia, Miehe was already qualified as a lawyer in France, but owing to the fact that French law is based on the civil code, she had to complete a Bachelor of Laws in Australia in order to be admitted.

Once admitted, Miehe worked in mid and top-tier firms and was exposed to matters involving the French Pacific Islands, as well as Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Solomon Islands.

Then, early last year, Miehe decided to exploit her dual qualifications and language skills and branch out into her own practice.

The result is Brisbane-based Océanie Lawyers, which primarily services Australian clients wishing to invest in the Pacific, as well as French-speaking clients wishing to invest in Australia.

"It's a passion that became a job," she says.

"Our niche market is the French Pacific Islands but we also work in the other Pacific Islands, and everyone in the team is bilingual."

Miehe works with dually-qualified special counsel Véronique Morgan-Smith and two other French-qualified lawyers who will soon obtain Australian qualifications.

"When we first opened, the idea was to focus on the Pacific Islands, but because of our set of skills, we also do work in West Africa," says Miehe, who adds that this side of the business "kind of just happened".

As such, the team deals with corporate and commercial work, as well as mining and tourism matters, across numerous jurisdictions.

And while Miehe is well-established with Pacific Island-based contacts and has local agents where necessary, she still finds herself having to get on an occasional Pacific-bound plane.

"I am lucky enough to be based in Brisbane and everyone who goes to or comes from the Pacific Islands comes through Brisbane," say Miehe.

"But I have to get there when necessary. It's a nice business trip. It could be much worse."

Claire Chaffey