As you travel along the Maroondah Highway towards the beautiful Yarra Ranges National Park, you’ll pass the suburb of Mooroolbark. A small residential community that’s home to just over 23,000 people, is also the locality where Yarra Ranges Lawyers is based. The practice prides itself on taking an active role within the local community, with Kristy Burrows taking the lead. “As the Director/Principal of the firm and having had a longstanding family presence in the Yarra Valley and having worked my whole career in Mooroolbark, the relationships formed with our clients and the community are of utmost importance to me.”
Challenges being faced by local communities
Kristy, a native of the Yarra Valley, has practiced law in Mooroolbark since 2005. Having worked in the area for over 20 years, she has seen significant changes occur, both for the good and bad. The past few years, being based in Victoria especially, has been challenging for residents who lived through the various restrictions during the pandemic. Now in 2023, a new set of challenges are emerging, which Kristy has played witness to. “The rising costs of living is having a significant impact on families and businesses. The property market has changed and continues to change in such a way that is creating uncertainty for clients.”
A changing and challenging world for small business
Whilst witnessing the challenges that her local community is facing; Kristy is also aware that her own firm is not immune to the wider market influences. But being frank about what people are currently confronted with, is one of the ways Kristy and her practice are ensuring they meet these challenges head-on. “These factors also impact on our business, and so we are constantly reviewing our business practices, speaking with our clients about their needs and challenges and adapting our business in such a way that allows us to continue to meet the changing needs of our clients and retain and nurture those relationships without having to cut costs and sacrifice our level of service.”
Excellent legal services are always people focused
Client service is something that’s at the heart of Yarra Ranges Lawyers. As a business, they are deeply rooted in the local community, establishing personal connections with numerous individuals. It’s through these relationships that Kristy and her team can best provide the highest standard of legal service.
But being people focused is not a new concept to the practice, it’s intertwined into their values of:
• Providing excellence in customer service;
• Working efficiently and being results oriented;
• Developing long-term relationships built on trust; and
• A commitment to strive to achieve the best outcomes for our clients.
It’s these principles that Kristy believes, make Yarra Ranges Lawyers stand-out and ensures their longevity in this volatile business world. “Our practice is very much relationship focused and to that end we need to constantly consider the changing needs of our clients and the impact that external factors are having on them.”
As a passionate advocate for her business but also the legal industry at-large, Kristy recently joined InfoTrack’s Legal Tech Advisory Group (LTAG), with the desire to connect with like-minded individuals and represent the views of Australia’s legal and conveyancing practitioners. Find out more about LTAG.
