Lawyer on the Street
Jacinta Dharmananda
As an academic at the Law School of the University of Western Australia, I am in my second legal career. It's one I never contemplated as a UWA law graduate. But then, my career has been one of unexpected, though pleasant, turns. When I graduated (some years ago now), my main objective, not particularly well thought out or profound, was to move overseas. I steered my legal career towards that aim, choosing a large, reputable law firm (then Freehills), an area that could translate internationally (banking and finance) and continued my study of a foreign language (Japanese). After a couple of years of practice, I gained a scholarship to study in Japan. Then came a position as an in-house lawyer with a Japanese oil company in Tokyo, inspiring my interest in energy work. When I left Japan several years later, I continued to focus on energy law, returning to Perth and then moving to Melbourne with BHP. My desire to work overseas had not abated with Japan. When an opportunity to work in the US arose I grabbed it and went back to finance with a law firm in New York (Covington & Burling). I sat the New York Bar Exam and maintain
42 | BRIEF JUNE 2016
my registration to this day, although the chances of me ever making use of it again seem remote.
Aid, as well as undertaking a stint as Legal Associate to Chief Justice Diana Bryant.
Most of us at some stage in our lives start thinking about a partner and family. Luckily, I found a partner and, even more luckily, he liked living abroad as much as me. We moved to Singapore and then Japan (again) where the US experience led me to a US law firm with a Tokyo office (Milbank). Starting a family followed. We returned to Perth when our oldest child was little. Living overseas is wonderful, but when you have a family, there really is no place like home.
My practice is primarily in the Family Court, but my work also takes me to the Children's Court (care and protection) and the Magistrates Court (restraining orders).
This led me to my second career. I was looking for something a little different. A fortuitous opportunity led me to UWA Law School. Starting a second career, even when still in law, has its challenges. The most challenging of all though is balancing a career (legal or otherwise) with your family and having a life. There is no magic bullet, for me at least, and it is a day to day task. Being as organised as possible and constantly reminding myself of what (or who) is truly important, helps. And so does the occasional overseas travel.
Amanda Thackray
I am a barrister at John Toohey Chambers, having previously worked at a 'boutique' family law firm and at Legal
I became a lawyer to promote values of justice, equality and compassion. I believe these are promoted by the use of therapeutic jurisprudence, which also leads to better outcomes for clients. Family law can be emotionally charged. One of the real challenges is maintaining empathy for clients while keeping enough distance to ensure advice remains objective. I have found that a good way to manage stress and improve my skills is to develop mentoring relationships with senior practitioners. These generous people are invaluable when I need someone to talk through a complex case or a novel problem. Committee work reminds me of the power we have as a profession to improve society. I am a member of the Council of the Family Law Practitioners' Association and a member of its Law Reform Committee. I have previously been on the committee of Women Lawyers WA and took part in the Review of the Chief Justice's Gender Bias Taskforce Report. I also help out Jade Lewis & Friends, an organisation devoted to providing life-skills programs to women in prisons. Cooking, gardening and long walks help keep my mind from wandering to my next trial. Now that work can so easily be done at home, it's important to set aside time when I am "not working" so that I don't feel tempted to reply to 'just one more' email. Hopefully, this means that when I do sit down to work, I'm more likely to be refreshed and work effectively.