My name is Bridie Edwards and I am a 25-year-old Associate at Bradley and Bray Lawyers on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. I finished Year 12 in 2014 and jumped straight into a Bachelor of Laws at the University of the Sunshine Coast where I graduated in 2019, following which I completed my Practical Legal Training with College of Law and was admitted as a Solicitor in June 2020 (right in the middle of the COVID-19 Pandemic by the way– more on this later!)
My first few years in practice and in the legal profession in Queensland
I started at Bradley and Bray Lawyers as a Law Clerk in mid-2019, moving to Law Graduate at the end of 2019, Lawyer in 2020 and was recently promoted to Associate, and I work in our Business and Commercial Law team, and Property Law team. Over the last few years, I have developed a significant passion for assisting my clients with a diverse range of matters and I am driven by the challenges that each day brings me. No day is ever the same and I love the practical element that comes with practising in this area of law. My love for Business and Commercial Law led me to complete my Masters of Applied Law, majoring in Business Law and Transactions with College of Law, which I commenced shortly after being admitted as a Solicitor and finished early this year (as if studying a Bachelor and PLT in one hit wasn’t enough, I know!) The knowledge and skills I gained through studying my Masters is invaluable and it has no doubt had a significantly positive impact on my practising career.
As I mentioned before I was admitted right in the middle of the COVID-19 Pandemic where the whole admission process was completely different due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place. I travelled down to Brisbane with my parents and partner early in the morning, went into the Court at my appointment time to sign the Roll and was handed my Certificate of Admission. And that was that. Whilst I didn’t get the usual ceremony like most, not many can say they became a Solicitor in the midst of a world Pandemic, with their family right by their side (and on the plus side I had the whole Banco Court to myself to take photos afterwards!) It was a very interesting, and still very exciting experience, and one I will never forget.
I feel very fortunate to be a part of the legal profession in Queensland, particularly on the Sunshine Coast as it is such a supportive and collegial environment, and I was humbled to be named in the Sunshine Coast Daily’s “Top 12 Sunshine Coast young gun lawyers” earlier this year amongst some of my incredibly esteemed colleagues and friends whom I studied at university with. I am proud to be a lawyer and I love my job, my firm and the profession which motivated me to nominate, and subsequently be elected as the youngest ever Queensland Law Society Councillor, at 24 years of age. My decision to nominate for the Council was one I considered heavily and a big reason I was shying away was because I thought I was too young or inexperienced to take on such an important role but the irony of it was, being a young, early-career lawyer was what surged my passion and drive for it. I bring a fresh perspective and a strong work/life balance approach to practice, and I am always aiming to help lawyers get the most out of their careers and fulfilment of their goals. I am the representation for young lawyers, and I feel like my position on Council gives them a stronger voice in determining what the future looks like for our profession.
Top tips from one early career lawyer to another.
1. Network, network, network!
We are surrounded by some incredible and likeminded people in our profession and the opportunities (whether that be client or professional and/or personal development based) that come from networking and getting your name out there are priceless. I believe I am very approachable and am always interested to meet likeminded people so please connect with me on LinkedIn, I’d love to hear from you.
2. Comparison is the thief of joy
This goes for not just your professional life but your personal life too. It is so easy for us to look at what other people are doing and their online profiles and compare ourselves, but we are all on our own journey and we should be focusing on just that! As I said above, I struggled with some negative thoughts when I was nominating for QLS Council, and I felt disadvantaged when I was studying my Masters with rarely any experience in practice compared to my fellow colleagues who had been practising for many years, but if you change your perspective and focus on the positives and what you bring to the table, I believe you are more likely to succeed but most importantly you will be happier.
3. Having a Mentor is key
I am lucky enough to have a number of mentors that have helped me get to where I am today. Go back to Tip #1, start networking – on LinkedIn and in person and find a Mentor. Again, feel free to connect and reach out to me - I don’t have a wealth of knowledge and experience under my belt yet but I do believe I have enough to assist and inspire others, as well as a wide network of connections that I can share.
4. Stress less, take care of yourself and maintain a good work/life balance.
Easier said than done I know but this is so important. Find something outside of work that fills your cup. For everyone it’s different but for me it’s exercising, spending quality time with loved ones and watching tacky T.V Shows and chick flicks (with chocolate of course!). Legal practice can be such a high stress and high-pressure environment and as lawyers we need to be actively taking time out for ourselves to avoid burnout and stress-related issues.
