Alumni - After Allens

Fiona Reid

Principal, Accredited Specialist in Family Law
Reid Family Lawyers, Sydney

This interview was conducted in 2015.

Allens alumna Fiona Reid's career at the firm was interesting and varied, where she began as a secretary, and ended up a paralegal. Now running her own family law practice in Sydney, Fiona is passionate about family law advocacy, the kids she works with and her staff.

Since leaving the firm…

I have done a number of things, leading up to me now running my own Family Law practice in Brookvale, Sydney (with a new office just opened in the CBD). Before going out on my own, I worked at Legal Aid, where I honed my skills in family law litigation.

I started Reid Family Lawyers almost 11 years ago now. It started out as just me and my mum on the phones. I now have four other lawyers and a support staff of four. It can be very full on and very busy, but always so rewarding. Ironically, I decided to start my own firm to allow for more flexibility in my life!

A typical day at work for me is…

very different one day to the next. It can involve preparing for and attending court, meeting with new and current clients or sifting through piles of financial disclosure. One of the highlights of my job is acting for children caught up in the dispute between their parents in Court. Meeting with kids is a stark reminder of the importance of ensuring that we, as family lawyers, remain child focused, even when we are acting for their parents.

At Allens, I…

started out as a secretary and then became a paralegal and research assistant (while studying law) for then Partner Michael Ball (now a Judge of the Supreme Court of NSW), alongside now Partner Kate Towey, who was the head paralegal at the time. All up I was at Allens around seven years. It was such a great time and, while doing discovery on some very complex insurance and financial cases wasn’t my true passion, I learnt so much and had such fun with those around me.

The thing that makes me get out of bed and go to work each morning is…

my clients, and helping families. Family law exposes you to clients who are often experiencing the most challenging and saddest times in their lives. Being able to help them through that, while protecting their family and financial security as best you can is what I find so rewarding.

The best part of my role is…

aside from working with my clients, seeing my colleagues. Each day, we all sit down and have lunch together. We discuss everything from our files, workloads, to life in general. It is so nice to take the time out with each other and relax for a part of the day.

I am also passionate about…

family law advocacy. I sit on the panel of Independent Children’s Lawyers and regularly train and educate other lawyers in the area.

The best bit of advice given to me was…

there are two pieces of advice actually. The first was from Michael Ball. While insurance law was perhaps too dry for me, working for Michael Ball is still a career highlight. He taught me so much. Treat everyone you come across with great respect, approach every matter with the same focus and integrity, and never use unnecessary words! The other bit of advice came from a past colleague at Legal Aid, Judy Ryan (now sitting on the bench of the Full Court in the Family Court). For about my first six months at Legal Aid, I cried almost every day over the very sad predicaments my clients and their children found themselves in. I began to doubt my ability to handle the cases I was getting. Judy reminded me that this compassion is what makes a good lawyer. We should never be complacent. By showing real empathy, only then can we really help our clients. Both those pieces of advice have stuck with me to this day.

At Allens, the people I remember most are…

still very much my friends. They include Ross Drinnan, Kate Towey, Michael Ball and Alec Leopold. It is fabulous to catch up with many of the other great people I worked with at the biennial alumni drinks.