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A rural-based boutique firm director has highlighted the challenges and opportunities of taking over an established practice, sharing lessons on succession, leadership, and modernising a firm while preserving its community roots.
Taking over an established boutique law firm can inevitably present a unique mix of challenges, along with several opportunities.
In a recent episode of the Lawyers Weekly Show, Jerome Doraisamy talked to DLH Solicitors principal Sally Callander about how acquiring a longstanding regional practice meant navigating legacy systems, managing an established team and balancing tradition with modernisation.
After merging her own practice with DLH Solicitors, Callander reflected on the lessons of her first year at the helm, providing insights on succession, leadership, growing a boutique firm and creating a practice that embraces change while preserving its community roots.
Taking over a boutique law firm
Callander initially joined DLH Solicitors in 2012 and worked there for eight years before establishing her own firm, Sally Callander Law, in Mudgee in 2020. In October 2025, she purchased DLH Solicitors and merged her practice with it, becoming its owner and principal solicitor.
“There is a lot of benefit in taking over a legacy firm, particularly from the position of the firm in a regional town, where people are almost like, there’s the bank, there’s the library, there’s the law firm,” Callander said.
“Every client that I got when I went out on my own, I’d had to somehow pull that. With a legacy firm, you get those returning clients.”
Callander reflected that acquiring an established boutique law firm requires thorough due diligence, especially when it comes to knowing exactly what is included in the purchase and the complexities of transferring existing client files.
“Be careful that you’re all over what you’re actually buying. What files are you buying? Are you buying the previous firm’s files? Are you buying the active files?
“Know that it’s going to be hard, and know that you can go in and step by step make it something that is your own.
“I think, financially, it’s obviously depending on the figures of the firms and things, but those safes in regional towns or in any law firm in terms of estate work are pretty invaluable,” she said.
“There’s a definite value in these firms; you can take them on and, if it’s a good commercial decision, chip away and make them your own in due course.”
Modernising and growing boutique firms
Callander noted that modernising a traditional practice can require a thoughtful approach that balances innovation with staff alignment and operational stability.
Navigating this transition effectively hinges on open dialogue, clear expectations, and active leadership across every stage of growth.
“Communication is key, discussions with staff is key, everybody knowing what’s going on,” Callander said.
“A lot of the time, those discussions need to be face to face.
“You’ve got to be really sensitive to the process for everyone; sometimes you just have to take things one at a time and give people a chance to adjust.”
Callander highlighted the importance of knowing the different traits of employees and where they best fit within the firm, in order to achieve the greatest success.
“What I’m trying to do is use people’s strengths, working out where everyone fits in so that we can use everyone’s advantages and slot everyone in together,” Callander said.
“Look after your team, and they’ll look after the clients; I think that’s a big thing I’m learning as a leader.”
Reflecting on this balance between tradition and progress, Callander emphasised how firm owners can drive growth and modernisation while honouring their practice’s core values.
“You can have those features of the traditional, but you can also put your own spin on it.
“You can modernise a firm while still retaining what makes it valuable to the community,” she said.
