Natalia Hutchison is a graduate solicitor at Best Wilson Buckley Family Law.

Speaking on a recent episode of the Protégé Podcast, she discussed the idea of thinking big as an emerging practitioner in the legal profession, thinking outside the box, and how junior lawyers and law students can expand their horizons.

Hutchison entered into family law after being part of the Queensland Youth Parliament in 2019, as well as the Women in Justice committee – and worked at BigLaw firm Herbert Smith Freehills as well as in government before moving to Best Wilson Buckley Family Law.

“We kind of have a small firm feel with big firm resources because we’re affiliated with another, larger firm. So, I think working here, and we do have very lucky to have a very supportive management team,” she said.

“We have a supportive management team that’s a horizontal kind of line hierarchy, which, coming from a top-tier firm, was very different, obviously, but very similar to in-house, where everything’s a team approach and everyone is on the same type of.”

In terms of being able to “think big” and outside the box, Hutchison said there are a number of key resources available for those coming through the ranks.

“I think we are very lucky in the day and age within the legal industry we work in that there are a lot of resources available to explain pathways and options, and it’s very accessible. It’s not just when you used to go to a university lecture and someone would say, I work in-house; there’s a lot of resources out there, which is really great,” she said.

“I think it’s just important for people to remember that you should look for something you’re passionate about. It doesn’t have to be the norm. It doesn’t have to be what someone else is passionate about. Find what you are and see what options are out there and just reach out to someone, because nine times out of 10, they’ll be happy to chat to you and give you some advice.”

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While reaching out to a legal leader or partner can mean building up a bit of courage to do so, being able to network can be enormously beneficial.

“I think it’s really beneficial when you do have someone in your work environment that can be a mentor to you and give you that confidence and then introduce you to other people, I also think it’s important for people just to get involved within the legal industry,” Hutchison said.

“Go to a few Queensland Law Society events and even if you are a bit too nervous to talk to someone, someone will probably approach you and have those conversations until you get that confidence. Or even on LinkedIn, where it’s not as intimidating to reach out in person, just message someone, comment on a LinkedIn post, people will usually start a conversation and it’s just a really great way to build your network and then be able to build your knowledge based on that network.”

However, for junior lawyers who have other concerns, such as the cost-of-living crisis and other issues, Hutchison emphasised that “it’s okay to not have space all the time”.

“I don’t think that every single day and every task you’re working on, you need to be thinking of how we can do it better. That type of pressure is going to crush that creative thinking. I just think it’s about observing and obtaining resources, like listening to podcasts and reading articles, and just absorbing that knowledge when you have space and time to do so,” she said.

“And then I think it does start to happen a bit organically. If you’re listening to people who are talking about innovation, like having that time to have an interest in it, I don’t think that every single person needs to do that. I’m quite lucky. I have a bit of a passion for it, and I think everyone has their own passion, which is great, but it’s important just to remember that you can’t change everything. And not just big ideas are good ideas, small ideas are good ideas.”

Innovation is something Hutchison has had a “genuine” interest in since starting her career, after HSF threw a “shark tank” style event and her team’s idea got chosen for funding from the firm.

“That really, for me, sparked a lot of interest in innovation and a lot of passion and inspired me. So, at the moment, we have been working on a workflow project, myself and our management team and two of the other members of staff. The aim is to reduce risk, create efficiency, and it will auto populate documents at certain types of matters and continue the progress of the matter. Just so matters aren’t getting left behind, everything’s on the right trajectory and all matters are following that same risk and compliance,” she said.

“And in our team meetings, we will often have a five-minute segment in the team meeting where it says, does anyone have any new ideas? If I have a new idea or someone else does, something that I try to do is think of buy-in points. Why would it benefit the client, either our office or our staff, because I think sometimes you can try to implement too many new ideas and it doesn’t work. There needs to be a reason for them. It needs to be beneficial, whether that’s efficiency, reducing risk, higher consistent quality of work, or better client outcomes.”

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The transcript of this podcast episode was slightly edited for publishing purposes. To listen to the full conversation with Natalia Hutchison, click below:

Lauren Croft

Lauren is a journalist at Lawyers Weekly and graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from Macleay College. Prior to joining Lawyers Weekly, she worked as a trade journalist for media and travel industry publications and Travel Weekly. Originally born in England, Lauren enjoys trying new bars and restaurants, attending music festivals and travelling. She is also a keen snowboarder and pre-pandemic, spent a season living in a French ski resort.