Two senior Gair Legal lawyers have stepped away from the defendant SME firm to launch their own boutique practice, Leonard Blake Legal.
Olivia Leonard and Christie Blake (pictured) have taken the bold but exciting leap of leaving Gair Legal to establish their own boutique practice, Leonard Blake Legal.
The move follows more than 20 years of combined experience at the defendant SME firm, with Christie Blake spending nearly 13 years at the firm, including four as a partner, and Olivia Leonard contributing close to seven years as a senior associate.
The pair shared that their boutique practice will focus on personal injury and employment law, two areas where they bring significant expertise and which frequently intersect in practice.
On the personal injury front, the firm will act for plaintiffs across a broad range of matters, including workers’ compensation claims, motor vehicle accidents, public liability, medical negligence, dust disease, and institutional abuse cases.
While on the employment law side, the practice will advise employees – and in some matters, employers – on issues such as unfair dismissal, workplace discrimination and bullying, wage and underpayment disputes, and related workplace claims.
Reflecting on the decision to launch their own firm, Leonard explained that the move was driven by a desire to build a practice rooted in their shared values, approach to legal work, and ambition for more from their careers.
“We both reached a point where it was time for a change, and we wanted to build a firm that truly reflected our values, experience, and approach to legal practice,” she said.
“Both of us are very driven in our own ways and wanted more from our legal careers.”
She added: “Establishing Leonard Blake Legal gave us the opportunity to create a firm where clients and staff alike are treated with care and respect, where matters are prepared properly, run efficiently, and handled with integrity.”
Speaking for the pair, Leonard described the new venture as an opportunity to create a modern, values-driven firm from the ground up – one that puts clients and staff first while reimagining how legal services are delivered through innovation.
“What excites us most is the opportunity to build a modern, values-driven practice from the ground up, where every decision is guided by what is genuinely in our clients’ and our staff’s best interests,” she said.
“We are particularly motivated by the ability to innovate in how legal services are delivered. We’ve invested a lot of time in picking the right technology for our firm, which has been exciting.”
Alongside delivering exceptional client service, Leonard expressed how the pair is driven by the chance to create a firm with a vibrant culture, where staff feel supported, valued, and inspired to thrive.
“Beyond client service, we are excited by the chance to create a workplace where people enjoy coming to work, feel supported, and are actually encouraged to grow professionally,” she said.
“Building a boutique firm with a strong culture where genuine support, high standards, and a sense of accountability can all co-exist is something we are proud to pursue.”
