June 2021 | Tammy Lo | Coulter Roache

What I love about working in both Geelong and Melbourne is...

The people. As someone from outside Victoria, I’ve found everyone in both places have been so friendly and welcoming. Geelong and the Surf Coast also offer some beautiful coastal scenery.

I am so fortunate to work within a fantastic legal team.  My team is based across Geelong, Melbourne and the Surf Coast offices and we meet in person each Monday to plan for the coming week and to build that face-to-face connection.
Working in Geelong allows me to be part of a close-knit community.  I work with fantastic clients across a range of sectors including not-for-profit, manufacturing and public sectors.

I am surrounded by accomplished colleagues in both Coulter Roache’s Melbourne and Geelong offices.  When I attend Melbourne, I work closely with our dynamic family law team.  It is great to be able to forge relationships with other teams within the firm.

The advice I would give to myself when I was studying law would be...

Enjoy university and the study – not be on a timesheet – it’s a time in your life when you are given the privilege of learning how to approach difficult concepts (that at first appear abstract) and apply them to the real world.

I had no intention of becoming a lawyer; I wanted to be an international human rights advocate.  My first job out of university was in Sydney at a firm specialising in Workplace Relations.  A friend recommended this role for me, but I quickly found my passion and have worked almost exclusively in that space for 15 years.   A law degree is actually a very versatile thing, it equips you with the communication skills to succeed in many fields, not just in the law.

If I was asked to provide advice to students studying law now; it would be to follow their own path and not be too fixated on the path of others.  Your career may be long so make sure you enjoy it and surround yourself with colleagues who you like and admire. 

I am really proud of..

My team! 

Since joining Coulter Roache, I have seen our Workplace Relations team grow, and I’ve grown along with it.  The opportunity to build the Workplace Relations team across Melbourne, Geelong and the Surf Coast is such a great opportunity that I am proud to be part of.

Becoming an Accredited Specialist was a great way for me to augment and fine-tune my knowledge of Workplace Relations Law.  It has enabled me to assist businesses and individuals and do pro bono work.  It has also enabled me to be part of the LIV Workplace Relations Specialists Advisory Committee which I gain great benefit from other specialists’ experience and knowledge.

I’m really proud of myself and my achievements in my life to date.  I would encourage others to be proud of their achievements as well.

If I could have dinner with any three people, they would be..

Professor Mary Crock – she was my supervisor when I did my Master of International Law at the University of Sydney.  If it was not for Mary’s influence, I would not have had the courage to pursue my career.  I am incredibly grateful for her influence and would love to show her what I have achieved thanks to her in the last 15 years.

My mum – She was a career woman prior to her retirement in a culture that was not generally supportive of that.  She was a full-time business woman and loving mother.  She taught me independence and remains one of my biggest inspirations to this day. 

My English teacher at school in Armidale, NSW.  I came to Australia at the age of 11 from Taiwan and was a boarder there.  It was a new country, new language, new culture.  She was always caring and compassionate and although I found it daunting at the time, her persistence has led me to the point where I could go on to study law and practise as a solicitor.  I will always be grateful to her for kindness, persistence, commitment to education and for being more stubborn than I am.