Throughout his legal career, Peter Smith has witnessed a number of significant transformations within the legal profession. He speaks to Briana Everett about the lessons he's learned

TressCox Lawyers managing partner Peter Smith: "I'd toyed with the idea of doing a number of other things but fell towards the law. It seemed to suit my personality and it certainly whetted my appetite. I found most subjects, except for say tax, quite riveting."

The managing partner of Tresscox Lawyers has no doubt told the tale of his career beginnings more than once. But as Peter Smith recalls the early days of his life as a lawyer, his enduring enthusiasm for what he does is plain to see.

And it's that passion, according to Smith, that has helped him achieve the long and successful career that he has, celebrating his eighth anniversary at Tresscox this month in his sixth year as managing partner.

"If you don't love what you do and you're not passionate about it I'm not quite sure how you get out of bed in the morning," he says.

"That's not to say it's easy, but unless you're looking forward to the week ahead - not arrogantly, not naively - but you're looking forward to the challenge, then I think you're missing something."

Thankfully, Smith has always had that "something", developing his passion for the legal life early on.

Following in the footsteps of his lawyer father and brother, Smith joined his family in the legal profession after completing his law degree at the University of Sydney.

"I'd toyed with the idea of doing a number of other things but fell towards the law," he explains. "It seemed to suit my personality and it certainly whetted my appetite. I found most subjects, except for say tax, quite riveting."

Smith has come along way since his days as a law student, launching his career at the Public Trustee before moving to Turner Freeman to complete his articles.

"The firm had the most interesting matters. Just being all ears you learned a lot. So that was a great lead-in for me," he says, referring to the Labor Party trade union orientation of the firm back then.

After Turner Freeman, Smith's next stop was at "the other extreme" of Freehills. Describing his experience there, Smith remarks how times have changed since the days when the now divisive concept of time-billing was barely on the table.

"I remember vividly, in the early days of Freehills, you'd come to the end of a matter and the relevant partner would hold the file and almost feel the value of the file, which would exude through them, and they'd think of a figure," he says, laughing.

"The concept of time billing was not in then ... but it came in pretty quickly so that was a change."

"No one person keeps this firm going and no one person will ever keep this firm going in the future. It's all about the glue but it's got to be elastic. It's truly about being a team"

From Freehills, Smith then jumped to Westgarth Middletons (now Corrs Chambers Westgarth), where he continued as a commercial litigator and climbed up the ranks to join the firm's partnership.

Finally, after his stint as a partner at Westgarths, Smith made his last move to Tresscox Lawyers (then known as Tress Cocks and Maddox) to head up the firm's national litigation team, eventually taking the reins as managing partner in 2005.

Strength in numbers

In his years as managing partner, Smith has learned the value of partnership and the importance of surrounding himself with the best people.

"As managing partner I couldn't be better assisted. Certainly, from my point of view - and it was made very clear to me when I started - no one expects me to be all things to all people."

Taking inspiration from his love of American politics, Smith has endeavoured to lead his firm with the same team commitment demonstrated by Robert F Kennedy and his family.

"There was a heavy degree of arrogance in the Kennedy clan. They were destined to rule. But what there was, besides all their comings and goings in their private life, was an absolute commitment to service to the public," Smith explains, revealing his extensive knowledge of American politics as well as his love of baseball.

"What Kennedy did, for all his ability, was surround himself with the best people ... The reality is I know diddly squat about a lot of things and I'm going to surround myself with the best people," he says.

"We have a lot of wonderful people in this firm but no one person has made this firm. No one person keeps this firm going and no one person will ever keep this firm going in the future. It's all about the glue but it's got to be elastic. It's truly about being a team."

Replacing the firm's chief executive officer as managing partner, Smith observed a certain level of comfort felt within the partnership having "one of their own" at the helm.

"The thought that one of their own, as it were, is pushing, promoting, saying no to things, saying yes to things - there's a participative flavour to it," Smith says.

Advocating a partnership style as opposed to a corporate structure as the best fit for his firm, Smith describes the significant changes which the firm has undergone in pursuit of his vision for a highly successful specialist firm.

"We took steps back in 2007 and 2008 to change the style of our firm with a greater focus on client development and client centricity. And we changed our partnership around a little ... but there was no blood on the carpet, no closed door conversations. I think that showed the real strength of what a partnership is," he says.

"I'm sure the corporate structure works for a whole range of firms and for a whole range of reasons but what happened to be and what happens to be good for us is a true partnership style."

Through his vision to achieve a specialist firm, Smith says Tresscox had to focus on its core strengths and weed out the areas in which the firm was only dabbling.

"We felt that if we built on our core capabilities we would grow."

And the last year has certainly been a significant growth period for the firm, having laterally appointed eight partners as well as their teams in just 11 months.

Snapping up partners from DLA Phillips Fox, Maddocks, Rigby Cooke, Herbert Geer and Tucker & Cowen, Smith says the firm's growth was the result of a search for staff in particular areas as well as people directly approaching the firm.

"That mixture is always nice. If you're looking for the objective assessment of how we're going it's nice when people ring up and say, "Is there a chance that we could have a chat?'."

Learning the balance

With legal work taking a back seat to the demands of managing a firm and giving up the 24/7 life of a mediator, Smith reflects on the ongoing challenge of finding a balance.

"I hear some people talk of work/life balance but I must admit I've long-held the view that it's a life balance. I have never liked the term work/life balance."

Bravely outspoken and critical of notions like 'flexible working arrangements', Smith believes those lawyers who attempt to achieve a comfortable dichotomy between work and life are in for a rude shock.

"I defy anyone who's really doing their job properly to say they're a three-day-a-week lawyer or partner. They invariably put in more than that. Three days invariably means four or four and a half, four days means five and five days means six or seven," he says frankly.

Providing guidance to the younger lawyers of Tresscox who are just beginning to face the tough balancing act ahead, Smith advises them to avoid setting rigid rules and points out the importance of feeling passionate about their work.

"I just think it's about life balance ... Don't kid yourself that you can separate work and family because you end up disappointing both."

While Smith tells it how it is when it comes to balancing life as a lawyer, he says the hard work involved is all worthwhile, proudly describing the dedication of his team at Tresscox.

"What's really pleasing to me about being managing partner has little to do with my day-to-day role of being managing partner," he says.

"It has everything to do with seeing young partners grow themselves as individuals ... and to see a group of partners get together and hear a room full of voices working out how we're going to deal with a problem. It's that participative feeling."