How we got our firm to its 20th anniversary

Going back to the beginning

I was recruited into private practice straight from university in 1992. Suffice to say, it was a different time: legal staff had their own offices, computers were just being introduced, lawyers dictated documents into hand-held recording devices, which, in turn, were typed up by a largely female typing pool, we had in-house catering, we went away on weekend firm-wide retreats, and we had to address some senior partners (male, obviously…) as mister. Can you even imagine?

Having said that, I regard myself as fortunate to have been employed by Dunhill Madden Butler. It fostered diversity before diversity was acknowledged as key to a vibrant workplace. Dunhills (as it was known) housed an eclectic bunch of professionals under one roof. For instance, one of my mentors started his career working for trade unions in South Africa; another was fearless in taking on any opponent or cause where a principle was at stake; and yet another was a former equal opportunity commissioner who schooled us all in the meaning of substantive equality and social justice in an Australian context. They were the best lawyers in my field.

What was Dunhills’ special allure? Another good question. Maybe it was enlightened leadership that came from having a much younger than customary partnership. That certainly helped when a group of women lawyers had the idea to serve the partners with a list of their paid parental leave and workplace flexibility demands in 1995. In any other law firm, that would have been unthinkable. At Dunhills, it was met with a wry smile and easy acquiescence.

So, why didn’t I stay?

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Well, like the rest of the profession, it wasn’t entirely progressive. When I started, the general law firm leadership/gender statistics were dire. Dunhills had two female partners out of 30. It took seven years after I started before I was part of a new wave of young women joining the partnership, two of us having just given birth to our first children.

Then, in 2000, Dunhills followed the trend, which was a response to accounting practices flooding the market with their own law firms. Dunhills merged with another law firm and a large proportion of Dunhills’ employment law team jumped ship, joining an even larger national firm, Blake Dawson Waldron. It, too, maintained some old-world formality, including a tea lady. Also, I stepped back from partner into a special counsel role, part of the wheeling and dealing and changed commercial expectations in a larger law firm environment.

Fast forward, and in 2005, my colleague and friend (now the Honourable Associate Justice Mary-Jane Ierodiaconou) and I made a courageous decision. We were going to break out on our own. Even if it meant operating out of my front living room and me working strictly during primary school hours for the first few months. It was the only way to find out if our firm could take root to establish itself – and do things better.

Milestones racked up. We graduated to our own office in the CBD. We employed our first legal research assistant, Rosannah Healy. We began the law student recruitment program, an initiative that was ahead of its time and continues to flourish. In fact, as a consequence of that program, we’ve given 80 or more talented young people a foothold in the world of work. We have mentored them, shown them how a law firm functions, built their confidence along the way, and applauded them when they launched into the legal industry and beyond.

We opened a Sydney office in 2007 under the leadership of Jane Seymour.

We made workplace flexibility the default for all staff. From the start, Mary-Jane and I, as the founding partners, believed it was important to role model this by working four days a week. Among other things, it freed us up to pursue our other interests as well as contributing to professional associations. For instance, Mary-Jane was an elected Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) councillor advocating for more mental health support for lawyers, while I and barrister Karen Streckfuss established the Australasian chapter for the US-based Association of Workplace Investigators.

Justitia continued to thrive and receive recognition for its culture and work practices. Seven years after opening our doors, we were named the LIV’s Law Firm of the Year and received the Sir Ken Robinson Award for Workplace Flexibility from AHRI.

Since our inception, many lawyers have come through our doors and contributed to the firm’s success and helped us build our reputation and culture. Even after they leave, they remain a part of our extended community. Given our supportive work practices, we have always been an attractive option for women lawyers (you only have to look at our website). We own it in a loud and proud way. By being a female-led firm, we’re in tune with life’s juggles and the particular challenges of our female staff. I should add that our door has always remained open to hiring men.

In 2015, a further significant development occurred. Mary-Jane, who had been Justitia’s managing partner to that point, was invited to join the Supreme Court as associate justice. My role changed to managing partner. It took me a while to find my feet, learning to lead on my own, and a whole new journey commenced. For me, it became about defining and better articulating our values for the next era, 10 years in, as well as determining what our value was to our clients. Gradually, it became clear that we wanted to help our clients create workplaces where people could thrive. It has resulted in strong enduring relationships with a large, varied group of loyal clients. As a firm, we are extremely aware and appreciative of the fact that without the confidence of our clients, including other law firms that have briefed us over many years, our flight path could have been quite different.

When Mary-Jane departed, I also had to think about my own succession. In 2019, two colleagues, Melissa Scadden and Magda Marciniak, became partners. In 2024, it was time to expand again, with Jess Toop merging her team from Toop Workplace Law with Justitia. It is because of these steps and the incredibly talented, energetic and compassionate staff with whom we work that Justitia continues. We have each other’s backs, we play to our strengths, and we are a champion team rather than a team of champions. It’s rare.

What’s changed

Over my 30 years in the profession, the past 20 from the law-firm-owner viewpoint, I have also witnessed a revolution in the guise of much positive change to our profession.

What comes to mind is:

• An increase in the number of women in key roles influencing the profession.
• Law firms accommodate the needs of their staff more flexibly (although, we have COVID-19 to thank for that as well).
• We talk about mental health, sexual harassment and discrimination in the profession in a more informed and sensitive way.
• We stand less on form. No more misters. Less hierarchy. Fewer suits.
• We are not looking for cookie-cutter staff. We appreciate what diverse talents bring to a firm.
• We look for creative settlement solutions rather than defaulting to litigation.
• We collaborate with clients (rather than talking down to them like lawyers of old used to).
• Flexible work doesn’t have to detract from your career.
• In earlier days, there was negligible support and education for lawyers about how to manage well. That has changed. Accordingly, there is better management, less poor behaviour, and improved employee experience. For example, at our firm, our staff meet with their manager once a month to discuss their progress, the support they require, and for their manager to listen to their concerns and challenges. In the old days, the role of the manager, wellbeing and good mental health were not part of the conversation.
• The rollout of new value pricing models has changed how we talk to our clients and articulate our value as lawyers (many boutique firms like Hive and Aptum are leading the way in this department).

Of course, it’s not always a rosy picture. There are still challenges with how private practices operate, but we are making strides.

In the meantime, I’ll ask myself one more question: could two young Melbourne women step off the well-travelled legal path and create something different that would endure against all odds? You bet.

Happy 20th birthday Justitia.

Sarah Rey is a partner and co-founder at Justitia Lawyers and Consultants.