International Women’s Day is a global event that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and the theme for 2023 is #EmbraceEquity
In honour of International Women’s Day, the Family Lawyers at Johnson Legal Family Law reflected on their proudest achievements and what it’s like to work in an all-women law firm, headed up by a female Director.
Head of Family Law and Director of Johnson Legal Family Law, Beverley Johnson set up the Family Law team in 1993 and grew the firm from herself and one secretary to a thriving, boutique Family Law firm. When Beverley first started out as a Lawyer, she realised that she found “immense joy” in helping people to overcome issues that polarised couples and their children.
Beverley reflected on her experience leading an all-women law firm for over 30 years and said: “Women tend to be more thoughtful, considerate, and empathic generally and in the workplace. Those qualities lend themselves as you “know” instinctively what others need or are going through.”
Her biggest career accomplishment is growing her practice to incorporate four experienced and talented Family Lawyers: “We are a small team, but we have a big presence in the Family Law field. My proudest personal achievement without any doubt was raising four children alongside running a busy law firm.”
Senior Associate Hayley Mitchell has been working at Johnson Legal for over eight years. In the early years of her career, she quickly gravitated towards family law: “I really like the strong relationships we can build with our clients to support them through a difficult time in their lives.”
Hayley emphasised that she thrives in an all-women law firm: “We are a close-knit bunch of girls, and this enables me to provide the best service to my clients because I have the support and assistance I need to deliver.”
Her proudest career moment was her first hearing about which parent the children should live with: “My client had suffered poor mental health largely as a result of her ex’s behaviour. The court found in her favour, and the kids returned to live with her. We still keep in touch and I love seeing updates about her happy family.”
Senior Associate Nyree Conway is one of the newest Family Lawyers at Johnson Legal and brings a wealth of experience as a previous Director at another firm. Nyree was inspired to work in Family Law after working with an inspirational female leader: “I really enjoy Family Law work as you get to provide a solution to people who are at a very vulnerable point in their life.”
On working in an all-women law firm, Nyree said: “My team provides me with empathy, support, understanding and a dose of reality when needed. We genuinely like each other and so working together is easy.”
Her first ever court appearance was her proudest career moment and one that she will remember forever. She said the “feeling and exhilaration” of appearing in a gown for the first time was a “proud moment” and one she will never forget.
Solicitor Advocate Fiona Mundy has been part of the Johnson Legal Family Law team for seven years. She had originally wanted to be a criminal lawyer but found Family Law cases to be much more rewarding: “Working with Johnson Legal has allowed me to continue dealing with other types of civil case which benefit my clients as it increases my knowledge.”
Fiona said that working at all-women workplace allows her to be truly herself: “It means we can work closely together in a non-antagonistic, collaborative way. I’ve worked in much larger firms where many partners were all jockeying for position.” Her proudest career moment was when she became a court partner at 30 years old while bringing up two children at a time when maternity leave was very restricted.
The Johnson Legal Family Law team comprises of talented, dedicated and empathetic women who listen, empower and allow their clients to take back control. They hope their team will inspire you to recognise the inspirational women around you on International Women’s Day and beyond.
