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As family and estates law undergoes rapid transformation, FLENA’s general manager believes the profession is entering one of its most exciting periods yet – and the practitioners who embrace change early will be the ones who thrive.
Family and estates law is entering one of the most transformative periods in its history.
Although the pace of change may appear overwhelming, it is creating exciting opportunities for practitioners willing to embrace innovation, rethink traditional ways of working, and position themselves for the future.
Family Law Education Network Australia’s (FLENA) general manager, Victoria Rebellato, identified a number of emerging opportunities that could redefine how family and estates lawyers practise and position themselves for long-term success.
One of the profession’s greatest opportunities, according to Rebellato, lies in rethinking the delivery of legal services to regional and rural Australia, with technology helping dismantle longstanding barriers to access.
“I think the biggest opportunity is also the flip side of the challenge I just described: regional and rural service delivery,” she said.
“Technology has made it entirely feasible to deliver high-quality legal services, mediation, and education to communities that have historically been underserved. The barrier has been infrastructure and connection, not capability.”
Rebellato said firms and practitioners that invest in these communities now will not only help close persistent access to justice gaps but also establish stronger, more resilient and differentiated practices for the future.
“Firms and practitioners who lean into that early are going to build genuinely resilient, differentiated practices,” she said.
Rebellato also shared how the profession stands to benefit from the smarter use of legal technology, arguing that it can improve efficiency while allowing practitioners to dedicate more time to the aspects of legal practice that rely on human judgement and empathy.
“There are genuine efficiencies to be found in the right use of legal tech. Used well, it frees practitioners from administrative load so they can spend their time on the parts of the job that actually require judgment and empathy,” she said.
Pointing to FLENA’s own investment in legal technology, Rebellato said the organisation’s FamDraft platform is helping practitioners unlock valuable efficiencies by reducing drafting time and making automation more accessible, particularly for smaller and regional firms.
“That’s the thinking behind our own document generation platform: our FamDraft precedent bank has already saved members significant drafting time and making that automation available to every member regardless of their firm’s PMS is exactly the kind of efficiency this profession needs, especially for smaller and regional firms who don’t have the resourcing to build that infrastructure themselves,” she said.
Technology, however, is only one part of the profession’s evolution.
Rebellato also pointed to growing momentum behind more collaborative approaches to dispute resolution, where lawyers work alongside professionals from other disciplines to better support clients facing complex family and estates matters.
She said this shift is enabling practitioners to build stronger partnerships with allied professionals, helping deliver more effective outcomes for clients navigating complex family and estates matters.
“There’s real momentum building around collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to dispute resolution,” she said.
“Family and estates matters intersect with financial, psychological, and social dynamics, and practitioners are seeing fantastic outcomes by building relationships with allied professionals rather than working in isolation.”
What tomorrow’s lawyers need
As family and estates law continues to evolve, the qualities that define successful practitioners are evolving alongside it.
Looking ahead, Rebellato believes the lawyers who will stand out are those who pair technical expertise with emotional intelligence, empathy and the ability to guide clients through some of the most difficult periods of their lives.
“Technical excellence will always be key, but I’m not sure that it will be what sets people apart,” she said.
“I think the practitioners who thrive will be the ones who combine legal skill with genuine emotional intelligence: the ability to communicate with clients in crisis, to recognise when a matter needs an allied professional at the table, and to hold boundaries that protect their own wellbeing while still showing up fully for clients.”
She also identified adaptability as one of the defining characteristics of tomorrow’s legal professionals, encouraging practitioners to become comfortable with emerging technologies while remaining committed to continuous learning.
“Adaptability matters too. Comfort with technology, openness to new ways of working, and a willingness to keep learning rather than relying on how things were done a decade ago,” she said.
“AI and legal technology present a genuine shift in how this profession is going to operate. We’re already seeing what thoughtful use of AI can do for drafting, research and administrative load, freeing up time for the ‘doing’ of being a lawyer.
“I think those that thrive will stay curious: test tools, understand their limits, and learn where they genuinely add value.”
For practitioners seeking to build a sustainable long-term career in family and estates law, Rebellato offered three key pieces of advice, which are;
“Keep learning, both the technical knowledge your clients need and the emotional intelligence that is essential to this field,” she said.
“Look after your own wellbeing as deliberately as you look after your files; you can’t sustain a good career running on empty. Part of this is whatever works for you to stay well, but the other applies to everyone, and that is to nurture your community of colleagues; they are key to your survival and sanity!”
“Stay close to what’s happening in AI and legal technology, not to become an expert, but because the practitioners who engage early will be better off.”
