Mr Marhaba originally studied computer science at university — and has always been interested in the technology side of law. Speaking recently on The Boutique Lawyer Show, he said that during — and prior to — the pandemic, technology enabled the regions to become more popular areas for practitioners.

“Prior to the pandemic, the regions were ripe for this type of change. And that was really enabled by the firm’s investments in technology. Technology has become a real enabler for us to have our office on our laptop effectively, so you could work from anywhere,” he said.

“And the one big benefit that the pandemic gave us was the acceptance that you can have meetings via Teams or Zoom. The courts were open to that as an opportunity. And I think everyone’s learnt to work differently and better in that space.”

Within both its Newcastle and Hunter Valley practices, Hicksons has experienced “double-digit growth” — and Mr Marhaba said more firms should be investing their time in growing their regional practices.

“We’ve seen a couple of things in Newcastle, which is the rise of some of the big four accounting firms arriving here, which is, I think, a big deal. KPMG’s got a pretty significant presence now here. But the other thing, I think, which is important is if you look at what the University of Newcastle is doing in the Hunter region, by developing these CBD campuses and investing heavily in the STEM courses, you can see how bright the future is for the region,” he said.

“And I think if you’re a modern law firm, you should be really thinking about surrounding yourself around these educational institutions, which are going to produce wonderful graduates in very exciting industries.”

The rise in popularity of these regions is also influencing younger lawyers who may be looking for their next career move, particularly as the legal profession evolves post-pandemic.

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“The big thing is we’ve really transitioned. When I started my career, the big indicator of how well you were doing was the time you arrived in the office and the time you left the office, and who saw you start at seven and leave at seven or eight o’clock at night. That has really changed over the last decade, I would say, because younger people want the opportunity to do interesting work, but at the same time have lifestyle and interests outside of the workplace,” Mr Marhaba explained.

“And I think in regional Australia, particularly the Hunter, you’ve got that opportunity for people who like to go for a surf in the morning or want to do something other than their legal job on the side. There’s so much more time available to you because you’re not spending time commuting, but obviously, you’ve also got the lifestyle amenities available to you.”

In terms of showcasing this value to prospective candidates, Mr Marhaba argued that the regions offer “genuine work/life balance”.

“If you like a beach lifestyle, you like the wine region, then the Hunter is definitely for you. But we’re also doing very interesting work up this way. So, the work that we’re doing in Newcastle and other regions is equal to the work that’s being done in Sydney. So, there are no missed opportunities in that respect. And I don’t think you’ll go backwards in your career in doing so. And I think if your values are consistent with those things, you’ll enjoy practising in the regions,” he added.

“I reflect on my own experience when we first came to Newcastle; I was really worried about things that I shouldn’t have been, like the local cafe that we used to go to, the restaurants and things, getting to certain parts of Sydney for entertainment. But ultimately, you still do all those things, and Sydney becomes a destination place for you or any of the big cities around Australia. And coming home to Newcastle is so rewarding because you know what you’re coming back to, and it’s a great lifestyle.”

The transcript of this podcast episode was slightly edited for publishing purposes. To listen to the full conversation with Najeh Marhaba, click below: