Lawyers Weekly is excited to once again host the 2022 Women in Law Awards black-tie gala ceremony on Thursday, 24 November 2022, at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne to celebrate the tireless efforts, dedication, successes, and achievements of women in the legal profession.

We are urging women in the legal profession to submit an entry or nominate a worthy colleague across 31 individual and group categories by 9 September 2022, including the Sole Practitioner of the Year award.

Commenting on the catalyst for venturing out on her own, Ms Stoddart explained that it was prompted by a combination of giving birth to her first child in May 2020, a multiple sclerosis diagnosis five months later, and the coronavirus pandemic.

“These events sparked me to think about how I could stay in my career but do it differently so that I could be around for my son while he was little, but also protect my health during the pandemic,” Ms Stoddart said.

“Starting my own firm removed unnecessary things like my commute to an office or even having office overheads. So, while it was borne out of the change in my personal circumstances, the changing landscape of the world during the pandemic also prompted me to think about doing something different.”

Despite launching her law firm only a few months before the awards ceremony, Ms Stoddart said she had met and exceeded all her financial goals and took pride in servicing her clients.

Vitality Law Australia provides services and education around issues relevant to owners of small healthcare businesses across Australia, including pharmacy businesses, medical centres, dental practices, and physiotherapy clinics.

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Ms Stoddart has experience in healthcare and commercial law, along with the purchase and sale of businesses and applications to the Australian Community Pharmacy Authority and the Commonwealth Department of Health, including applications for change of ownership of pharmacy businesses and applications for the exercise of ministerial direction.

She also helps clients navigate employment issues at all stages of the employment relationship, including developing workplace policies, drafting employment contracts, assisting with the management of ill or injured employees, conducting workplace investigations, and advising on issues relating to performance management and termination.

She was conferred the Sole Practitioner of the Year award for her vast legal expertise and capabilities as a business owner across marketing, sales, business systems and processes, and client retention strategies.

Navigating health issues and parenthood

Ms Stoddart shared that her award win was the culmination of emerging victorious from a number of challenges, particularly the birth of her son and her health diagnosis.

“Parenthood is hard enough on its own without having to juggle a career with it, and this is something a number of women face in our profession,” Ms Stoddart said.

“I was already the director of a firm previously so I had that responsibility, which meant I couldn’t take parental leave for a period of time.”

Coinciding with this, Ms Stoddart received a multiple sclerosis diagnosis when her son was five months old, which was a “massive shock”.

“I thought I just had a pinched nerve from lifting a baby but it ended up being quite a significant health diagnosis,” she said.

“In hindsight, the decision I’d made months prior to launching my own firm was a great one for me because it enabled me to manage my health in a way that perhaps would not have been possible if I had to commute to work.

“The strain of travelling or climbing up and down a flight of stairs is challenging for me now.”

Coping with these challenges required Ms Stoddart to accept her new reality. She used her circumstances as a catalyst to change her ways of working.

“It was a fork in the road kind of moment for me,” she said.

“I could either have become really upset about it, perhaps left the law and pursued something less demanding but instead, I used it as an opportunity to re-think how I could continue practising without detrimentally impacting my health.”

Share your journey to motivate others

Ms Stoddart said that by sharing her story through a forum like the Women in Law Awards, she is hopeful that it will inspire other women in the law profession to step forward and highlight their achievements by submitting an entry in the awards.

Addressing women in law, Ms Stoddart stressed: “Don’t devalue what we do day in, day out because you can inspire others, even if you don’t think your story is particularly inspiring.

“I went on my journey of launching my business but it wasn’t until I compiled my award submission that I had time to stop and reflect. You should be proud of your achievements and have it acknowledged too.”

Ms Stoddart recommended that this year’s award entrants should focus on their points of difference to distinguish themselves from their peers and attract the judges’ attention.

Alongside this, she urged applicants to include financial metrics and information to demonstrate growth, but acknowledged that lawyers could be hesitant to do so.

“While it could be nerve-wracking to expose that information, I do believe it is kept confidential,” she reassured.

“Financial information is a very important metric to measure the success of a business, despite our reluctance to talk about money.”

Most importantly, Ms Stoddart urged her peers to step forward and enter the awards.

“Don’t hold back or think that you aren’t good enough because you absolutely are,” she concluded.

The 2022 Women in Law Awards national awards program is the pinnacle event for recognising female talent in the Australian legal industry.

It will be held on Thursday, 24 November, at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne to reward women who have tirelessly worked to influence and propel the legal profession forward.

It shines a spotlight on the outstanding achievements of executives, barristers, academics, pro bono, students and other legal professionals in large and boutique firms.

Click here to submit an entry or nominate a worthy colleague by 9 September 2022 to be in the running for these prestigious awards.

For more information, including categories and judging process, click here.