Moving roles and taking steps forward in one’s career will always make one a better lawyer. Returning to old stomping grounds – and with fresh perspective and deeper experience – also proves to be vocationally rewarding.
The factors in favour of a return
Whenever legal professionals return to a former employer, it is always for a mixture of personal and professional reasons.
Baker McKenzie tax partner Dixon Hearder, who returned to the global firm in February 2025 after five years in-house, told Lawyers Weekly he was happy where he was, but in the end, Bakers’ Australian offices “felt like a natural choice”.
“Thanks to my ongoing association as a client, and the fresh leadership perspective emerging at both the tax practice and firm level, coupled with the impressive growth of the multinational tax practice under new head of tax Simone Bridges’ guidance,” he said.
“My time in-house sharpened my sense of what I value in a firm: leadership that empowers high-quality work, which aligns well with my experience ‘boomeranging’ to Bakers.”
For Yvonne Lam, an opportunity to help build the corporate insurance and regulatory practice across the Asia-Pacific region at Clyde & Co inspired her decision to return to the global firm in October.
“As I had been with Clyde & Co for over a decade for my entire post-admission career and had been one of the first associates in the Australian offices when they first opened, I had grown up with the firm and knew it well, which made the decision to return easier as the new Australian leadership team is made up of many familiar faces who I enjoyed working with during my first stint with the firm,” she said.
Will Stawell, who rejoined White & Case earlier this month after nearly a decade at a BigLaw rival, said he “was excited to rejoin because I knew the platform well and they have a track record of successfully integrating lateral partners in Australia”.
And Leanne Meyer, who also returned to Baker McKenzie (as a special counsel, and after stints in other international firms, a litigation funder, and in an in-house role), said that “quite simply, the people” made her want to come back.
“As I’ve ‘matured’, both professionally and personally, I have developed a clear view of who I am professionally, the values that are important to me, and how I like to practice law,” she said.
“Fundamental to that is working with people with whom I share mutual respect and trust. Authentic lawyers who challenge you and are prepared to be challenged, who share a like-minded approach to the practice of litigation, with the right mix of intellectual passion for the law, together with a strategic, pragmatic approach to matters which keeps a client’s commercial needs at the forefront.
“The disputes team at Bakers ticks all those boxes. So, when the opportunity presented, transitioning back to Bakers’ felt very right.”
The benefits of familiarity
Stawell said he’s a “firm believer” that moving roles makes one a better lawyer: “Different firms approach things differently, while neither approach may be wrong, a synthesised approach can be better.
“Just as our clients look to inject fresh ideas into their organisations with the right hires, so should law firms.”
Thus, returning to a former employer makes lawyers better placed to succeed in those familiar environments. In this context, Meyer said, familiarity breeds trust.
“Being a ‘known quantity’ has allowed me to hit the ground running, as it were, and add value to matters much more quickly than would otherwise be the case starting somewhere new, where establishing relationships, getting to know the team and becoming a trusted pair of hands somewhere new can take some time,” she said.
Relatedly, Meyer said one of the things she has always enjoyed most about being a private practice lawyer is the opportunity to mentor and support junior lawyers.
“Returning to Bakers is, I think, a great professional growth story to be able to share with those lawyers, unique to the trajectory I have taken, and to reinforce to those up-and-coming lawyers that they are in a pretty great place,” she said.
“I am not just talking the talk, but walking the walk.”
Lam recounted feeling welcomed back into Clyde & Co’s fold across the region and globally and was already known in cross-border offices for her specialist expertise due to her previous stint at the firm, which she said “helped with building momentum with referrals from the Clyde & Co international offices for Australian matters in my space and collaborating with my old contacts both within the firm and amongst the firm’s ecosystem partners and clients”.
“I have found that it has also been easier to hit the ground running with transitioning my practice and team back to Clyde & Co, knowing how to navigate the main systems and key contacts, even if there have been some changes in the short time that I was away and my role has changed on my return to the firm,” she said.
Moreover, Hearder pointed out, returning makes adjusting to workplace processes much easier.
“After nearly a decade as a partner previously, you don’t need to navigate the usual ‘getting to know you’ phase – culture, systems, and all – to the same extent. That makes a real difference when you’re more than 30 years into your career and have a clear sense of how you want to get things done and what you’d most like to influence given the opportunity,” he said.
“It doesn’t mean there’s no appetite for something new and different, but it’s an important factor, especially when, in a truly global firm like Bakers, you can still find fresh and interesting opportunities within a familiar environment. It also brings a unique perspective, particularly when viewed through the lens of having once been a client.”
A new vantage point
Having spent some time in an in-house role and then in a litigation finance role with an ASX-listed company, Meyer said she returned to Bakers “with a clear appreciation, gained through lived experience, of a client’s perspective and what a client really needs from their external lawyers”.
“I learned firsthand the internal pressures brought to bear on in-house lawyers by the business and the board, and that first and foremost our role as external lawyers to our client is to be mindful of those challenges and assist in-house legal teams in being able to deliver to their internal stakeholders,” she said.
“It is a refreshing insight. I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to build this experience firsthand. It allows me to approach client relationships in a much more productive way and to share these insights with other lawyers.
“It has made me a much better private practice lawyer.”
Hearder had a similar experience, noting that his time in-house (particularly during and in the wake of the global pandemic) prompted a “significant rethink of the optimal operating framework”, including the role of automation, approaches to risk management, and the contribution of advisors.
“It’s helped me develop a clearer view of what true value-add looks like across that entire framework, and now as an advisor again, it’s a perspective clients appreciate,” he said.
Lam’s time at a national firm, at which she had autonomy to build a corporate insurance and regulatory practice from scratch as a new partner, taught her different ways of approaching management of a team and collaborating with partners across practice areas and building strong client relationships at a local level.
“I have greater confidence in carrying across the aspects of the practice, team management and cross-practice collaboration which had worked well at a national level and now translating that to an international law firm with global reach,” she said.
Advice to others
To those thinking about returning to practice at one’s previous employer, Hearder said that among the many factors to consider, why one left in the first place is paramount.
“Organisations should continually evolve – starting with leadership and priorities – and that’s never been truer than in today’s environment. If the opportunity arises, I’d say don’t dismiss it without doing some objective homework,” he said.
Moreover, he added, it “doesn’t hurt to be open-minded”.
Meyer advised trusting one’s instincts.
“If it felt right once, chances are (obviously, subject to the reasons for leaving in the first place) it is the right place again. Of course, survey the market, speak with recruiters, know what is available in the market, and make a considered choice,” she said.
In addition, Lam said one should also consider whether the original firm can offer what one is looking for in the future.
“My reason for leaving Clyde & Co was the offer of a new challenge at a pivotal time in my career as a senior lawyer, where I was looking to grow and take the next step in my career. It was also the chance to experience a new law firm environment and work with a different leadership team after having been at the same firm since my admission for over a decade at that stage,” she said.
“Every person has their own reasons for leaving a firm, and I was very fortunate that Clyde & Co offered me a great opportunity to come back and continue with another new challenge.”
Stawell said lawyers must approach the question objectively: “In particular, you should consider your clients – will the move make you a better lawyer who can provide them with something additional?”
“Those who have previously been at a firm will have a head start, but integrating partners – even after a short time away – is a real skill, and my advice is to look for those firms like White & Case that have a track record of successful integrations,” he said.
Most importantly, Meyer said, “know what matters to you and know your own career priorities”.
“These will become more apparent to you as you grow professionally. You will develop this perspective the more senior you become. Always be driven by these priorities and your values, and find your people. It will make you a better, happier, and healthier lawyer,” she said.
“If you know, you know …”
Jerome Doraisamy is the managing editor of professional services (including Lawyers Weekly, HR Leader, Accountants Daily, and Accounting Times). He is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in New South Wales, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
You can email Jerome at:
