Tony Jansz is the director of Clarence Professional Offices, Julian Walsh is the principal and practice director of Walsh & Walsh Lawyers, and Lauren Cassimatis is the principal and founder of Gallant Law as well as the co-chair of Connecting Lawyer Mums.

Speaking on an episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, produced in partnership with Clarence Professional Offices, the group discussed the various hurdles when setting up a new law firm and the importance of finding support and community.

Clarence played a key role in driving a feeling of community for Walsh and Cassimatis when they were establishing their respective law firms – something which can be important to get new firm owners through “low moments”.

“When you’re thinking about not just your own reputation, but your firm’s and your teams and you’re thinking about the longevity and the impacts long term, it’s so important to be able to have people that you can get some advice from or just even vent to. So having a sounding board, I think, is really important. And that community gives you that. You might not have the right mindset or the experience to deal with certain matters. So being able to leverage off others’ advice, experience is important, just that morale or emotional support from having networks around you,” Cassimatis explained.

“It was quite a lonely world when I started my practice. You’re removing yourself from your usual networks or supports because you’re so focused on developing the business. So having people who are in that same world or phase of life as you to be able to support each other emotionally is so important.

“The firm wouldn’t be where it is today if it wasn’t for a lot of these connections I’ve made where they can refer you work, they can vouch for you. So community can, I think, help you commercially, but certainly also from a wellbeing perspective at finding the right people, that there’s that hashtag find your tribe, but having that tribe that is on your page aligned with you, your values, your vision, I think is really crucial to getting you further in life.”

Walsh agreed that “community is crucial”, particularly as a sole practitioner. Walsh & Walsh Lawyers was built solely off lawyer referrals, and Walsh said 95 per cent of all his work has come from other lawyers.

“I think collaboration is a word that’s often slightly overused, but when it comes to specialisation and working with other boutique, smaller firms, it is something that can be done ethically and can be done in a way which benefits all. And when I looked at making the decision where I was going to start my firm, Clarence just ticked all of those boxes,” he said.

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“It’s such a win-win when it comes to the benefits of community and the benefits of the membership generally rather than being a sole practitioner, sitting in an office on your own. And really, that’s where the red flags can be when you’re actually not connected to a community to the same degree. Clarence really helps you address that because it provides you with that forum, that platform, to basically network and to seek referrals out, but do so in a way that is professional.”

According to Jansz, both Walsh and Cassimatis are “typical” case studies of Clarence members and said the office spaces were almost like a “virtual multidiscipline practice”.

“I think lawyers work really well together because they respect professionalism, they understand what they’re doing, and they understand that they have a particular skill in a particular area. And my observation is that we have literally dozens of these virtual multidisciplinary practices. Not everyone gets on with everyone all the time working with 600 other lawyers, but we see in each of the locations, it could be two, three, four, half a dozen practices that are working together that cover a broader suite of skill sets, which then opens the market for them to be able to cross refer,” he said.

“It’s really cool to watch you see a brand new member come into a drinks area and be just looked after by our other members because they’ve gone through that, and there is a level of empathy around that whole practice. The whole concept of developing those virtual practices, multidisciplinary practices, just allows the sole practitioner to go on holidays, as simple as that, because there’s a level of professional trust that exists. So, it’s great to see how it continues to mushroom.”

In terms of advice for other aspiring lawyers looking to start their own firms, Walsh advised “starting small” and building slowly.

“You can keep your overheads down, you can slowly and incrementally build out your law firm, build out its processes. For me, I’ve automated a lot. There’s a lot of amazing practice management software out there. So, it’s been very much a process for me of starting my firm to work out my policies and procedures, to work out the way I go about things. I was able to do that and had that little bit of additional time at the start as a result of keeping my overheads down.

“So, every time I sat in the co-working space, it was a relief because it meant that I was actually keeping my overheads down and I had that little bit more breathing space to actually focus on what I need to do professionally and ethically to grow my firm,” he said.

“I also just wanted to really stress looking after yourself and looking after your health. As a sole practitioner, it’s really important. So you have to focus on that. Stay healthy, stay happy and do what’s right for you. Know your limits, know your sweet spot and look after yourself. Both your physical health and your mental health. It’s really important.”

Additionally, Cassimatis emphasised the importance of having your “ducks in a row” when establishing a law firm and really building on skills to develop and support a business.

“I went to many courses on building a brand, even finding out what my brand is around. HR as the team starts to come on board, social media management, all your automated systems, so do the research and do live by trial and error,” she concluded.

“It is a learning exercise, but it’s also so much fun. And be proud of yourself if you’ve gone out there on your own; it’s not easy, and it is a huge risk, but also a huge triumph. And just as cheesy as it sounds, do believe in yourself. You’ve gone this far. Don’t lose momentum. And also check in in terms of your wellbeing and welfare. If times are hard or things are really hectic or you’re experiencing any kind of challenge, count on those support networks or even get professional help if you need, but just have your own back and invest in yourself.”

The transcript of this podcast episode was slightly edited for publishing purposes. To listen to the full conversation with Tony Jansz, Julian Walsh and Lauren Cassimatis, click below: