Kirsty Brealey | Special Counsel – Wills, Estates & Succession Planning

I enjoy practising law because…

I genuinely like solving problems and helping people. I knew very early on that I wanted to pursue a career in law because there were so many branches of the law, the variety appealed to me. I am fortunate to have been able to attend University and whilst there find my way to studying law. It was toward my final years at University where I had the opportunity to complete a professional practice subject which involved running my own cases (under supervision) at the Monash Oakleigh Legal Service and later the Family Law Assistance Program. This is where I had my first real experience helping people with real legal problems. I quickly found my passion for private client services – wills + estates and family law in particular. That desire to help people, often during some of the most stressful times of people’s lives, grew from then and continues for me today. I enjoy what I do. I enjoy helping clients make plans to provide for their families, friends and sometimes charities beyond their lifetime with their estate plan, or helping to provide guidance and assistance with probate or administration when a loved one has died, fighting for clients who have been left out of a will or inadequately provided for, representing an estate when a claim is made and other more complex and tricky will and estate challenges.

A career highlight has been…

In early 2020 (before having any idea of what covid would look like), I signed on to undertake the LIV Accredited Specialisation assessment. Having practiced exclusively in the area of Wills + Estates for a number following my early years as a generalist lawyer, I wanted to test my knowledge, build confidence and learn what I didn’t already know – you can never know everything in this area! It was a really tricky time managing work, home schooling two primary aged children as a single parent and study amongst the covid lockdowns and at times it seemed impossible but I was really grateful to have an amazing study group and support network. The assessment consisted of an exam, mock interview and take home assessment. The exam was gruelling! To my complete surprise, I passed and am extremely grateful and proud to hold myself out as an Accredited Wills + Estate Law Specialist. I recommend getting out of your comfort zone and giving it a go!

To me, leadership means…

I’ve worked in a variety of different sized firms and within different sized teams where there is a whole host of varying skill levels, qualifications, ages, gender. In my experience it’s really important to give everyone the opportunity to contribute, to be heard (and feel heard), to communicate clearly and efficiently, to listen actively, to be diverse, to understand what drives and motivates (the person’s “why?”) and to be emotionally intelligent. To me leadership encompasses all of those things and if done right, means inspiring others and working together to achieve a common goal.

The best advice I have received is…

One of my earliest mentors instilled in me the importance of covering ourselves as practitioners from claims or complaints by ensuring that all advice was recorded in writing whether it be a file note or detailed letter of advice. Whilst this sounds simple, we live and work in an extremely fast paced world where it’s very easy to get distracted and pulled in many different directions in a day so sometimes the simple things are still the best.

Another little gem, particularly if things are feeling overwhelming or stressful, I like to apply the “this too shall pass” mantra because it’s important to remember that things are constantly changing, if you’re having a tough time, this too shall pass, if things are going well, this too shall pass.