“He has taught me that we can achieve amazing things, even when sleep deprived and living through a pandemic. It was from having him that I found the courage and determination to give something new a try,” she reflected.

“Becoming a parent has made me fiercely protective of my family unit and has given me the strength to do what is best for us.”

Such motivation led her to launch her own firm, Vitality Law Australia, which came into effect at the start of this month. She operates the new practice in Mitchelton, Queensland.

“My decision to launch a new legal practice came about as a result of reflecting on the challenges and opportunities of 2020 and my new life as a parent. There was obviously a lot to consider, and as a lawyer, we naturally see the risks but the burning question that was front of mind the whole time was, ‘if not now, then when?’. Personally, definitely the desire to shape my career around my young family and to make it work for me,” she explained.

“Now more than ever, we have a chance to shape our future and to reassess how we integrate work and family. I want to be there as my family grows rather than to miss out on important milestones and I really feel that I can make that happen by taking control of how I work. From a professional perspective, there is more acceptance now than ever before of the ability for lawyers to work remotely. That acceptance, together with confidence in my somewhat niche expertise and a good client base were the drivers to launch the new firm.”

When asked what she hopes to achieve with her new firm, Ms Stoddart said, first and foremost, “flexibility”.

And, she added, “the freedom to be able to deliver whatever it is my clients are after, at a time and location that suits at that time”.

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Her underlying philosophy, she continued, is to “know and understand each of my clients and to be able to deliver exactly what they need to help their business grow”.

“It might be traditional legal advice, training and educational sessions or just peace of mind that their ducks are in a row. I’m passionate about educating so I want to be able to educate my clients or at least feel as though they can ask whatever questions they have, at any time, to make things easier for them,”she said.

Ms Stoddart noted that there will be challenges ahead, including and especially managing the juggle between work and parenthood, “particularly as my son grows and his needs change”.

“It sounds cliché but I will address these as they come. We’ve all learnt this year that we do not know what is around the corner. All we can do is make the most of what we have and recognise when we need to pivot,” she said.

“Of course, there’s also the issue and challenge of bringing in income rather than relying on a steady wage. I hope to address these by expanding my range of services and offering clients more than just legal advice.”

For all other minor hurdles that present themselves, she added, her energy will “come from coffee and chocolate!”.

Reflecting on the fact that not even a global pandemic and the arrival of her son could stop her from launching a new boutique practice, Ms Stoddart said that any lawyer who wants to start their own firm, but is hesitant or worried about such a move, should think about the worst-case scenario.

“What is the worst that can happen? For me, it was that I would have to find a job and if that was the worst-case scenario, I knew I could live with that. At least if that were to happen, I would know that I have given it my best shot and would not be left wondering what might have been,” she advised.

“My other tip is to make sure you surround yourself with people who will give you honest but constructive feedback, lift you up when you need it most and provide you with support and encouragement. I am very fortunate to have some amazing mentors and friends who listened to me, offered their advice and support and encouraged me to give it a shot.”