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‘We’re in the era of the micro-firm’
Successful boutique practices are ones that understand what their niche is and do it well, says Perpetua Kish.
Jerome Doraisamy
Balance Family Law principal Ms Kish is very aware of who she is as a person, as well as what her strengths and weaknesses are. She has always been very good, she told Lawyers Weekly, at taking a step back and identifying a particular path forward rather than trying to do everything at once.
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“I’ve never aspired to be the jack-of-all-trades, master of none. We’re in the era of the micro-firm, and people are doing one thing and they’re doing it really well. Apply that logic to the business. I really want to do my thing really well, and that is connecting with people, building true, authentic relationships with my clients and with my colleagues. I like to see the big picture,” she outlined.
Speaking on The Boutique Lawyer Show, Ms Kish – who, together with her co-founder, Jonathon Naef, won Boutique Law Firm of the Year at the recent Australian Law Awards – said that a lot of people who are naturally creative and have strong communication skills are drawn to the law, but that “when they find themselves there, it can be quite a rigid place full of rules, regulations, restrictions, and that can lead to a sense of dissonance”.
“For me in particular, I felt that, in a more rigid environment, that my actions and my values could not align,” she mused. As a result, lawyers will often ponder: “What is my why? Why am I passionate about this? Why do I like doing this?” she noted.
Running a practice that focuses directly on its niche, she surmised, thus makes a boutique lawyer much better placed to thrive from an emotional and vocational perspective.
“Being aware of what your strengths are and saying, ‘You know what, when I’m doing work in this way, in a way that aligns with who I am, I’m doing it better. I’m happier. I’m less stressed’,” she said.
“It’s not that actually hard to start the firm, the practical sides of things. The hard part is getting over the mindset, getting over those barriers in your mind.”
In addition, Ms Kish continued, the boutique practices that will be successful are the ones who appreciate collaboration over competition with firms who operate in the same niche.
Adopting such an approach, and shifting away from ingrained tendencies towards competitiveness, will actually put one in better stead, she advised.
“Everyone talks about being different these days, but if you’re too different and put up barriers, you’re going to find yourself quite lonely and isolated and not really being able to effect any real change. This is particularly true for us in the family law space, where we can only act to one partner, party to relationships. So, we need other people to be doing things in a similar fashion to the way we are in order to be able to do what we do well,” she explained.
Boutique lawyers operating their micro-firms don’t ever have to feel as though they’re alone, Ms Kish insisted.
“There is a crew out there. You can either join the pre-existing group or you can create one on your own. We have been creating one in Canberra, which I’m really excited about, and I think magic will happen from that space,” she concluded.
“Don’t ever think you’re alone. Don’t ever not ask for help. Don’t ever be ashamed to ask for help. Be vulnerable, people like it. People see you for who you are. They trust you. And back yourself.”
To listen to the full episode with Balance Family Law, click below:
