For 29-year-old Brendan Moylan, age was no barrier when it came to getting to the top of his field.

Moylan is a modest man and, judging by his career record, a talented one too.

Referring to the fact that at just 29, he has already been a partner in regional law firm Webb & Boland for almost three years, Moylan puts his rapid rise down to good fortune.

"I was pretty lucky," says Moylan. "I think it was definitely a case of good luck rather than good management."

But Lawyers Weekly believes there may be a little bit more to it than that.

Born and raised on a cattle farm near the rural town of Gunnedah, Moylan is a country boy through and through. Despite completing his schooling in Sydney, it was his love of the country, his interest in cattle production and his desire to stay close to his parents' property that inspired his decision to work in a regional firm.

And, after a swag of interviews following the completion of his degree at the University of New England in 2003, Webb & Boland came up with the best offer.

"I started [at Webb & Boland] on 1 December 2003 and have been there ever since. I spent the first 18 months or so doing predominantly legal aid work and from there I progressed into small claims. [My practice] has grown from there," says Moylan.

Moylan says the nature of legal practice in regional areas gave him the practical experience and early exposure to taking on responsibility that he needed to succeed.

"I think that in the bush you get a lot more opportunity. Within three days of being admitted as a lawyer (in August 2004) I was back in Moree running a local court hearing. You have to learn very quickly. A lot of the guys I went to the College of Law with stayed in Sydney and they are still working their way up," he says.

Moylan also credits his co-partners, Basil Downes and Mark Houlahan, with giving him the drive and incentive to reach his career goals.

"Mark and Basil always said that if I got my billings up to a certain point where it was worthwhile for them to look at partnership, then they would. So that was always an incentive for me to grow my practice. I didn't want to be an employed solicitor forever. They were happy with my work and offered me the partnership," he says.

So, what drives Moylan now that he has reached the top?

"Apart from getting to go home?" he laughs. "It's nice getting feedback through clients and the community ... and having people approach you to work for them because they heard from someone else that you did a good job. Helping out our clients and getting a good result is always nice," he says.

- Claire Chaffey